Steven Gerrard's
farewell to Liverpool ended in spectacular disappointment as Stoke inflicted
their heaviest league defeat in 52 years.
Brendan Rodgers could
not have wished for a worse result or performance ahead of his end-of-season
review with FSG chief Mike Gordon after Stoke tore them to shreds, scoring five
goals before half-time before eventually running out 6-1 winners.
The last time Liverpool
had lost by five goals in a league match was when Tottenham beat them 7-2 in
1963 and this defeat means they finish sixth – and that ensures their campaign
will start on July 30 in the Europa League qualifiers.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has his head in his hands after his beleaguered went 5-0 down at half-time in this final game for the club
Gerrard looks dejected as he trudges off the pitch at the Britannia Stadium as Stoke were rampant to score five times in the first-half
Mame Biram Diouf (right) celebrates having scored a brace to compound Liverpool to a miserable defeat on Sunday
Stoke striker Jonathan Walters fires past Simon Mignolet to score Stoke's third in a devastating first half display at the Britannia Stadium
Walters jumps into the air in celebration after his strike moved Stoke 3-0 up after just half an hour against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon
Charlie Adam (centre), a former Liverpool player, managed to fire Stoke 5-0 up at the break at the Britannia Stadium against the Reds
Adam Lallana (left), Philippe Coutinho (centre) and Gerrard look dejected during a dismal first-half performance on Sunday
Gerrard scored Liverpool’s only goal and was given a standing ovation as he
trudged off the pitch but this is not a day he will remember with any kind of
fondness. Liverpool, in keeping with their season, was abysmal and the
spotlight will now shine heavily on Rodgers. He has questions to answer.
Even Raheem Sterling
wasn't called upon with Rodgers keeping the 20-year-old on the bench as his transfer
saga continues to rumble on.
It seems almost unfair
to give Stoke’s excellence second billing in this narrative. Hughes has done a
superb job, building on the foundations Tony Pulis put in place, and this was
arguably the crowning moment of his two years at the helm.
Aggressive, energetic
and relentless from the opening whistle, there was never any doubt which side
was going to come out on top. Stoke, for starters, had shape and a plan of
attack; Liverpool, by contrast, lined up like a disorganised, confused rabble
and that is how they played.
Rodgers will talk about
the tactical changes he made in mid-season to get Liverpool moving forward but
what was the explanation for this? Why was there no right-back or striker on
from the start? When you have spent more than £200million on your squad in
three years, isn’t that a disgrace?
And that is precisely
what Liverpool were here. Shapeless and confused, it was impossible to say what
formation Rodgers had them playing. Then again, though, the same has been true
for much of the last two months, as results have nose-dived.
This proved to be the
crash landing and how spectacularly horrible it was. Each time red-and-white
striped shirts poured forward, with former Liverpool man Charlie Adam
especially keen to prove a point, there were gaps all over waiting to be
exploited and they did that with ruthless efficiency.
Liverpool fans pay tribute to their departing captain Steven Gerrard with this banner at the Britannia Stadium before his last game for the club
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers emerges for kick-off but surely couldn't have predicated the disastrous first-half for his side
The only surprise was
that it took Stoke 21 minutes to find a way through. It was a scruffy goal,
Mame Diouf tapping into an empty after Simon Mignolet fumbled Adam’s drive, but
what it did was smash open the floodgates and soon Liverpool were drowning.
Within four minutes,
Diuouf had doubled the advantage, this time he thrashed a drive in from the
edge of the 18-yard area, having been given all the time in the world to shoot.
The chance arrived after Emre Can, playing out of position at right-back, had
been twisted inside out.
All over you could see
heads dropping. Gerrard sported that all too familiar furrowed brow, looking
around him in a state of angered bewilderment. After all he had done for the
club, he didn’t deserve to be going out in this fashion but soon it would get
much worse.
This fine strike from Mame Biram Diouf gave Stoke the lead during a stunning first-half for Mark Hughes' side in the clash with Liverpool
tempers flared as Adam Lallana (left) and Ryan Shawcross (right) squared up in the final game of the season
tempers flared as Adam Lallana (left) and Ryan Shawcross (right) squared up in the final game of the season
Departing Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard fired in a late consolation goal for his side during his final game for the club
On the
half hour, two became three. Jonathon Walters got in on the act this time,
pouncing after Can had got himself hopelessly confused and headed a loose ball
to the forward. From six yards out, Walters was never going to miss.
Leaping out of his seat,
punching the air in delight, Hughes implored his side to go for the kill and
they did that quite magnificently with two wonderful goals before the interval,
the first came from Adam, whose crusade to score paid off when he thrashed a
shot beyond Mignolet from 20 yards.
Stephen Nzonzi put the
gloss on a remarkable 45 minutes when he curled in from 25 yards, leaving
Stokes fans clasping their heads in giddy disbelief and sending Liverpool followers
scurrying for the exits.
Steven Gerrard celebrates his final strike for Liverpool before he leaves the club and joins LA Galaxy in the MLS in July
Sunday marks the 10 tenth anniversary of when they came from an improbable
position at half-time to win the Champions League against AC Milan but there
was never even the remotest possibility of them doing likewise on this
occasion.
Rodgers
looked shell-shocked as he made his way to the tunnel, with invective and fury
showering over him. For those who have been undecided about whether he is the
right man to lead Liverpool, this was the tipping point.
Gerrard
demanded that Liverpool restore some pride and he did at least score his 186th
goal for the club in the 71st minute but it was soon cancelled out as Peter
Crouch ended the rout with a towering header.
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho attempts to play a pass but couldn't trigger a comeback for the Reds at Stoke on Sunday
Stoke striker Peter Crouch out-jumps the Liverpool defence to head in Stoke's sixth goal of the afternoon against a dismal Liverpool side
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch celebrates with team-mate Charlie Adam having headed in Stoke's sixth goal in the closing stages
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers (centre) cuts a bemused figure having seen his side thrashed 6-1 at Stoke in the final game of the season
Gerrard applauds the travelling Liverpool fans after his final appearance for his boyhood club at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday
An emotional Steven Gerrard waves to the adoring Liverpool fans having completed his last game for club before joining LA Galaxy in July
The 34-year-old heads down the tunnel in a Liverpool shirt for the final time after playing in the 6-1 demolition at Stoke
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