Stoke City extended their unbeaten record in the league to nine matches this afternoon, beating Liverpool 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium.
Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a lead from the spot in the very first minute after Luis Suarez had been felled by Ryan Shawcross, but Stoke hit back with two goals in the next 11 minutes to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
Jonathan Walters added another after the restart to make it 3-1, and the Potters held on to move up to eighth in the league table.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at another disappointing defeat for the Reds.
Match statistics
Stoke
Shots: 7
On Target: 6
Possession: 47%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 11
Liverpool
Shots: 12
On Target: 6
Possession: 53%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 5
Was the result fair?
If anyone deserved to win, it was Stoke. Neither side would have been able to complain at a draw, but the Potters' workrate, desire and commitment was the difference today. Liverpool had more chances, shots, corners and possession, but found clear-cut chances hard to come by.
Stoke's performance
Tony Pulis will be delighted with his side's performance. Their response to going a goal down within the first minute was exemplary and, even when they overturned the deficit, their workrate was phenomenal. They never stopped running, and caused Liverpool problems at the back time and time again with the high line of pressure. A typical Stoke performance, just with a few more goals to show for it.
Liverpool's performance?
Same old Liverpool. It looked as if they were going to build on their 4-0 win over Fulham when Gerrard gave them such an early lead, but to blow that lead so quickly was poor. They had plenty of attacking platforms but, apart from Suarez, looked devoid of any inspiration when going forward. Downing was anonymous throughout, while Suso made as much of an impact on the bench in the second half as he did on the pitch in the first.
Referee's performance
Stoke's physical nature always make them quite a tough team to referee, but Howard Webb did a good job. He got the penalty decision right and was not afraid to call it so early on in the match. He also handed out two yellow cards within the first three minutes, both of which were deserved, to send out an early message to the players.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jonathan Walters: The striker epitomised Stoke's performance. He worked tirelessly for his team and was rewarded with two goals. He got slightly lucky with the first after Skrtel's slip, but there was nothing lucky about his second, a superb volley that Reina could do nothing about.
Biggest gaffe
It was more of a stroke of bad luck than a mistake, but Martin Skrtel's slip in the build-up to Walters's goal was very costly. The defender looked to have the situation under control but fell over, allowing Walters in to slot calmly past Reina.
What's next?
Stoke: Stoke end 2012 with another home tie, this time against Southampton, before travelling to champions Manchester City on New Year's Day.
Liverpool: Liverpool will look to bounce back from this defeat away to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday before hosting Sunderland at Anfield three days later.
Barney Corkhill
