The Reds slumped to a one goal defeat away at Stoke despite dominating possession and playing some good stuff at times. It's now four league games at this ground and still no win but this one deserved something better. We will play far worse this season and win matches.
Take nothing away from Stoke though as they put an awful lot in to this one we just couldn't find a way through. Had we scored earlier on it may well have become easier in the game but we didn't and Stoke were hardly going to roll over.
The one bizarre one in the line up was Skrtel at right back. He filled in last game I know but he's no full back but his height is probably what swung it for him given that Glen Johnson was fit enough for the bench.
The Reds got the game started and were in to the groove straight away.
Everything that the Reds threw at Stoke though they were up to the task of protecting Begovic in the Stoke goal.
Suarez had a shot over the bar early on but he was looking typical Luis.
The game really turned in favour of the home side on twenty minutes when Jon Walters went down in the box under close supervision by Jamie Carragher. It looked a bit soft to me but Carra didn't help himself because he had his arms all over the lad and Walters didn't need asking twice to go down. The one thing he got away with was a card but the pen was enough for them.
Walters himself got up and grabbed the ball before slamming it home for the home side.
The only thing going for us with the penalty was that it was only a quarter of the way in to the game and we had plenty time to keep decent play going forward and surely still to win the game.
A few minutes after the goal Suarez had a shot but Shawcross managed to get a block in after he was found at the back post by a Henderson cross.
Martin Skrtel blasted a shot over the bar when he was found by a pull back from Suarez but if there was one player you didn't want it falling to in general it was him and he couldn't keep the shot down.
It was pretty much all one way traffic for the Reds but we just couldn't test the keeper enough. Suarez turned Upson in the box but could only hit a tame shot straight at the keeper five minutes before the break.
Neither side made a change at half time and the Reds were ready to have another charge at Stoke to try and get something out of the game.
The swirling wind through the ground may not have been helping the flow of the game or the narrowness of the pitch but we were certainly the better side.
Just after the hour mark and the Reds really should have been back in the game when Jordan Henderson was sent clean through on goal. He just didn't seem confident to me as Enrique sent him through and he had three shots in all before Adam failed with two. Only Henderson's third got beyond Begovic but straight at Shawcross. These are the kind of chances you really have to take. Luis Suarez was going absolutely mad before the corner was taken as he felt he was in a decent position.
It was his last main part of the game for Henderson as he was replaced by Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll replaced Dirk Kuyt. Kenwyne Jones also came up at this point for Stoke with Etherington having gone off.
Stewart Downing got a header on target on seventy minutes after Bellamy set a cross up for Enrique. It was just too easy for the keeper at his near post.
The Reds were piling the pressure on now and Matt Upson couldn't cope with Suarez and went down injured. After treatment at the edge of sitting out of the game he then walked off across the pitch which was enough to knock the wind out of our sails a little.
With the clock ticking on we needed every second we could get and Glen Johnson was sent on for Martin Skrtel to give a little more down the right hand side.
Andy Carroll had a shot on goal which resulted in a hand ball shout but it looked a difficult one to give for where it was.
Craig Bellamy then headed wide from a Downing cross when he should have headed across goal. With the clock ticking right down now though it was getting desperate.
Downing and Suarez combined out right in the last minute and as Downing found Suarez in the box he crossed only for Upson to clearly claw the ball away with his hand. Now I'm sorry but if the lino can't see it then he should be sacked. The ref probably was blocked so you can't blame him but it was on the assistant side of the pitch and Upson clearly had his hands up. We needed something like that and I can't take that old saying of these things even themselves out over a season because this prevented us getting at least a point from the game or at least the straight chance to get one.
Luis Suarez was rightly going livid on the pitch and after two separate occasions when he berated the lino he was shown a yellow card.
There was one final chance for the Reds though in stoppage time as an Adam cross was dropped down by Begovic and Suarez somehow managed to side foot the loose ball home.
That proved to be it as well for us as the ref blew the final whistle. Well done to Stoke for their defending but we certainly deserved something from the game so it's hard to take in a way. We played well in this game and did virtually everything but score a goal and that's the best we've played down there in the league and still not won.
MotM : Luis Suarez - it's down to their defence that Luis didn't score on the day and his work rate all over the pitch was great to watch.
