Advantage Liverpool as Ibe downs Stoke in League Cup

Jordon Ibe came off the bench to drive home the winner as Liverpool took a big step towards reaching the League Cup final with a 1-0 victory at Stoke City in the first leg of their last-four tie on Tuesday.
Ibe was summoned into the action early and the winger fired home left-footed in the first half as Juergen Klopp’s side grabbed a narrow but potentially priceless advantage ahead of the return leg on January 26.
Liverpool’s hopes of a record-extending ninth League Cup title were given a stern examination in the second half as Stoke plied forward in search of an equaliser. However, a makeshift defence featuring Lucas Leiva and Kolo Toure stood firm.
Klopp’s delight at victory was tempered by yet more injury woe as Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren succumbed to hamstring problems in a high-paced first half, while Toure was limping at the finish.
“It’s a strange feeling,” Liverpool’s German coach told Sky Sports. “I’m proud as it was a perfect reaction from the last game (a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United).
“But of course we have two bad injuries and that’s why I’m not lucky tonight.”
The eight-times winners were sharp and incisive as they pinned Stoke back in the early stages although they again looked to be lacking a killer instinct in front of goal.
It was substitute Ibe who broke the deadlock for the visitors, putting the finishing touch to a swift counter attack after 37 minutes.
Adam Lallana beat the offside trap down the right flank and squared for Joe Allen, whose scuffed shot fell into the path of Ibe who controlled the ball neatly before dispatching his left-footed shot low into the net.
Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino was denied by a last-ditch tackle from Ryan Shawcross, but Stoke did finish the half with their best two chances as Marko Arnautovic headed wide and former Liverpool fullback Glen Johnson drew a good save from Simon Mignolet.
Stoke brought on striker Jonathan Walters for the second half and piled men forward but created few chances from a sustained period of pressure, until the substitute pulled an effort wide in stoppage time.
At the other end, Liverpool had penalty appeals turned down when Allen and Nathaniel Clyne were barged over in the box, while Ibe hit the side netting.

Injury crisis tilts Klopp toward transfer market
Klopp has indicated that he may have to enter the transfer market to buy a defender as Liverpool’s injury crisis grows.
Klopp faces the prospect of having no fit centre-backs for Friday’s FA Cup third-round trip to Exeter.
Apart from Lovren, Coutinho and Toure, Martin Skrtel has already been ruled out until February, while Mamadou Sakho missed the match at the Britannia Stadium with a knee problem.
Toure, who came in for Sakho against Stoke, was limping with cramp towards the end, and Klopp is unsure if he will be fit for Friday’s game. And teenager Joe Gomez is a long-term casualty with serious knee ligament injury sustained in October.
The Liverpool manager said: “In this moment with no centre-back fit, I would say it is a situation where we have to think about going into the transfer market.
“Two weeks ago we had three centre-backs, that’s a good situation. At the start of the season, we had five. Now we have none.
“We now have three injured centre-backs and the only fit one got cramp near the end, so that was not the funniest thing in the world.
“I don’t know if any of our central defenders have a chance of being fit. Sakho, I don’t think so. Kolo said it’s only a cramp. But I don’t know for him either.”
Klopp now has 11 members of his senior squad unavailable, having seen them suffer 24 separate injuries between them since he took charge at Anfield in October.
The Liverpool manager said that the injury troubles overshadowed what he felt was a much better performance from his players following the disappointing display they produced in losing 2-0 at West Ham in the Premier League last Saturday.