Match report
Liverpool exorcised last season's 6-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium as Philippe Coutinho's sweet late strike sealed a 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Since their defeat at the hands of Stoke 77 days ago on the final match of last term, Rodgers has brought new faces, but it was the Brazilian who proved his worth four minutes from time with a moment of magic. Christian Benteke, James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez all made their competitive Liverpool debuts and, for much of the contest, the visitors struggled to create many chances.
Stoke's makeshift centre-back pairing of Geoff Cameron and substitute Philipp Wollscheid were largely able to deal with Benteke's physical threat as Brendan Rodgers' new-look side looked set for a frustrating stalemate. However, shortly after compatriot Roberto Firmino was introduced, Coutinho produced an early goal-of-the-season contender from distance in their Barclays Premier League opener.
The Brazil midfielder cut in from the right and unleashed an unstoppable drive past Stoke's new No 1 Jack Butland that sealed the points.
Amid an evenly-matched start, Charlie Adam snatched at a half-chance early on as both sides struggled to find rhythm, having named seven starting debutants between them. A loose backpass from Martin Skrtel almost allowed Mame Biram Diouf in but Simon Mignolet was quick to react and clear the danger.
Glen Johnson came close to scoring for Stoke on his debut against his former club. After Ibrahim Afellay's blocked shot, the right-back dragged the ball across him before stabbing over.
Having avoided a repeat of the first-half horror show in the corresponding fixture last term, when they were 5-0 down at the break, Liverpool started the second on the front foot. The crucial final pass continued to elude them as Rodgers introduced Emre Can for Adam Lallana shortly after the hour.
Coutinho always looked the most likely to unlock Stoke's defence and his craft set up Benteke, only for the Belgian to see another effort blocked ,with Jordan Henderson adding to the striker's frustration with an overhit cross.
Stoke got deeper as the game drifted and Coutinho eventually punished the hosts with a trademark drive from distance.
| Next fixtures | |||
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| 15 Aug 2015 | v Spurs (A) |
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| 22 Aug 2015 | v Norwich (A) |
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| 29 Aug 2015 | v West Brom (H) |
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| 12 Sep 2015 | v Arsenal (A) |
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| 19 Sep 2015 | v Leicester (H) |
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| 26 Sep 2015 | v Bournemouth (H) |
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| Next fixtures | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2015 | v Bournemouth (H) |
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| 24 Aug 2015 | v Arsenal (A) |
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| 29 Aug 2015 | v West Ham (H) |
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| 12 Sep 2015 | v Man Utd (A) |
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| 20 Sep 2015 | v Norwich (H) |
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| 26 Sep 2015 | v Aston Villa (H) |
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