Liverpool beat Stoke City in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final to take a one goal lead back to Anfield and get a step closer to Wembley. The Reds’ put on an extremely assured performance, a stark contrast of what was showcased at Upton Park some days back.
Here are three things we learned.
Joe Allen is an intelligent player
Allen has been a little bit of a victim of Brendan Rodgers’ rating him so highly, even going to the lengths of cringingly calling hi the “Welsh Xavi”. Surprisingly, for a man who rated him so highly, he hardly used him in the position he was brought in to occupy.