There was a point on Saturday when all Liverpool fans will have been dreading waking up on Sunday morning to a post-mortem of a dreadful 1-0 defeat away to Stoke City.
The phrase ‘one of those days’ instantly plagued the minds of all Reds as Jonathan Walters put the home side ahead in the 44th minute. Jurgen Klopp’s new-look starting eleven had been poor and Liverpool’s season seriously looked as though it was about to hit a stand still once again.
It wasn’t to be, though. The work of two magical Brazilians, an injury-stricken superstar striker and an outstanding performance by Simon Mignolet helped the Reds pull off an impressive comeback.
Supporters can continue to celebrate Roberto Firmino’s spectacular winner, Mignolet’s remarkable save to deny Saido Berahino, Philippe Coutinho’s clinical equaliser and Daniel Sturridge’s through ball in the build up. Besides this, there were a number of statistics to emerge from the contest that are certain to interest Reds.
- Liverpool have now won more points from losing positions than any other Premier League team this season (18)
This seems a remarkable statistic given how the team struggled so dearly and subsequently lost having gone behind in games against Hull and Swansea. Resilience does, however, pose as a characteristic expected from a Liverpool side led by a man as driven and as determined as Klopp.
This side has had a thing for comebacks over the years which more often than not makes life as a Liverpool fan all the more exciting but also extremely stressful.
- Georginio Wijnaldum makes his eighth assist of the season
It was by no means the Dutchman’s best display in a Liverpool shirt on Saturday but it was another important contribution. The midfielder’s lofted through ball fed Firmino’s perfectly timed run which the Brazilian topped off with a fierce strike into the roof of the net to hand his team a valuable win. The goals and assists the former Newcastle man has started to provide have quickly seen him mould into one of Klopp’s key men.
- Roberto Firmino has been booked more times (7) for ‘excessive celebration’ since 2012/13 than any player in Europe’s top five leagues
A brilliant statistic. He so often pretends that he is about to take off his shirt in celebration that the fact he went through with it against Stoke proved how important that goal was. It’s not only his talent on the ball but also his sheer passion that has made him a favourite amongst the Liverpool faithful.
- Philippe Coutinho is now the highest scoring Brazilian in Premier League history (30)
This is some achievement from the little magician. His record will also take some beating at this rate. Much to the joy of everyone affiliated with the club, he looks to have rediscovered his form and finds himself on a bit of a scoring run at the moment. His impact off the bench reiterated just how crucial he will be to Liverpool’s on-going pursuit of a top four spot.
- Simon Mignolet made three punches in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2015
A slightly bizarre statistic but a positive one, nevertheless. The Belgian’s display against Stoke was arguably his strongest this season. He pulled off two superb and potentially decisive saves, blocking Charlie Adam’s effort from six yards out to stop Liverpool going 2-0 down before preventing what seemed like a certain goal from Berahino to keep the score at 2-1. A great day for a man that has been under a lot of pressure over recent months.
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‘Start him against West Brom’- fans praise Liverpool star for unsung Stoke cameo