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Hughes: Stoke far better than Liverpool

Liverpool beat Stoke City on penalties in the League Cup semi-final but Mark Hughes felt his side were much the better team throughout.

Mark Hughes believes Stoke City was "by far the better team" in the club's League Cup semifinal defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Stoke leveled the tie at Anfield thanks to a goal from Marko Arnautovic, and created arguably the better chances before the match went to a penalty shootout.

Joe Allen struck the winning spot kick after Simon Mignolet had saved Marc Muniesa's sudden-death effort to send Liverpool into the Wembley final, but Hughes was delighted with his own side's display - especially given what he considered to be a lack of general belief that it could progress.