Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the first leg of the first League Cup semi-final as Stoke City host Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium. In terms of silverware, these two clubs could not be much further apart when it comes to their history, but there is very little to separate them in the Premier League at present and the hosts will certainly fancy their chances of a rare trip to Wembley. First things first, though, let's have a look at the two teams on show...

STOKE STARTING XI: Butland; Johnson, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Cameron, Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic; Bojan

STOKE SUBS: Haugaard, Joselu, Wilson, Van Ginkel, Adam, Walters, Crouch

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Moreno; Lucas, Can, Allen, Coutinho, Lallana; Firmino

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Bogdan, Milner, Benteke, Brannagan, Ibe, Smith, Randall

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well the first thing that jumps out from both team sheets is that the respective managers have both named strong starting XIs, and as far as Stoke are concerned it is as strong as it can get for Mark Hughes right now. He names an unchanged side to the one that was beaten by West Brom at the weekend, resisting the temptation to bring Walters in after he scored off the bench against the Baggies.

There is plenty of buzz about Stoke at the moment, and the vast majority of it surrounds their front three. Bojan is again expected to be the furthest forward, playing as a false nine, this evening in a similar formation to the one that has also been deployed by Liverpool. Bojan's future has come into question recently amid reports that he could have a buy-out clause in his contract, but Hughes has insisted that the Spaniard is going nowhere despite reported interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Shaqiri has also begun to find his best form having made a relatively slow start to life at the Britannia, but probably the star of Stoke's season - at least in an attacking sense - has been Arnautovic. He has caused some of the Premier League's best defenders problems with his direct running and trickery, in addition to significantly upping his goal output too. If he is on form tonight then Liverpool will need to keep a very close eye on him. Add Afellay to that trio and you have a potent, and very skilful unit.

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Perhaps the one man more worthy than Arnautovic of the label of Stoke's best player this season is Butland, who has been in magnificent form between the sticks for the Potters. He has helped his side to keep a string of clean sheets and made a number of brilliant saves along the way, and with Liverpool's attacking troubles at the moment, that could well prove to be a difference-maker in this first leg. Shawcross in front of him has also been impressive since returning from injury, while for Glen Johnson it is another appearance against his former club.

As for Liverpool, they also name a strong side for tonight's match, although there is no place for Christian Benteke, who drops to the bench. The Belgian is the only real out-and-out striker that Klopp has at his disposal at the moment, with Sturridge having suffered yet another injury setback and Origi also unavailable for tonight's game, but as has been the case a few times this term, the German manager has gone for Firmino is a false nine role.

That tactic has worked brilliantly on occasions - most notably against Manchester City at the Etihad - but Firmino has been very hit and miss so far in his Liverpool career. Coutinho is another who is struggling to reproduce his best form on a consistent basis, although the Brazilian has shown flashes of his quality throughout the season. His late wonder goal on the opening day was enough to hand Liverpool victory here back in August, and another one tonight would be very welcome for the visitors indeed.

Klopp has made just three changes to the side beaten by West Ham at the weekend, with Adam Lallana one of those to return, replacing Benteke in the side. The second switch sees Ibe drop to the bench to be replaced by Allen, which suggests that Klopp will revert to his formation of having three central midfielders - Lucas, Can and Allen - with Coutinho and Lallana just behind Firmino. Klopp also has James Milner on the bench following a recent calf injury.

There is one more change at the back as Kolo Toure brings experience into the back four alongside Lovren, with Sakho the man to drop out of the side. Clyne, who was beaten in the air for both of West Ham's goals at the weekend, continues on the right, while Moreno does the same on the left having lost the ball - albeit controversially - in the build-up to the Hammers' first. Mignolet once again tends the goal amid speculation that Klopp is looking to bring Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen to the club this month.

That is what Stoke have to deal with, then, but they will be full of confidence following a number of their recent performances. The big problem for the Potters this season - and indeed for Liverpool - has been consistency. They have looked unstoppable on occasions, namely their recent victory over Manchester City, but they go and lose two West Bromwich Albion at the weekend to undo all of their hard work. Many parallels can be drawn between their campaign and that of tonight's opponents.

It is actually against the big teams that they tend to raise their game at the moment. They have picked up victories over the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton in the last two months, and they have been worthy of each victory as well. In the same period, though, they have lost to the likes of Sunderland and West Brom, so it all comes down to consistency once again.

Those odd lapses are why the Potters still sit 10th in the table rather than being right in amongst the European race at the moment, but it is all quite tightly packed in the middle of the Premier League right now, with Stoke only three points off the top six and just one behind Liverpool. They have won 11 of their last 17 matches in all competitions, including all those major scalps I mentioned earlier, but only two of those victories have come in their last five outings.

Stoke have actually been better away from home than they have at the Britannia this season in terms of points won, but that does appear to be changing. The Potters have won five of their last six games at home in all competitions including penalties, with the only exception in that run being a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace. Even more impressively, they have kept four clean sheets in their last five home outings, including in wins over Chelsea and both Manchester clubs.

Stoke also dispatched of Chelsea earlier in this competition, although they needed penalties on that occasions courtesy of a late equaliser from the Blues. They eventually won the shootout to reach the quarter-finals, were goals from Afellay and Bardsley handed Mark Hughes's side a 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. In the opening rounds it was not all plain sailing, however, as Stoke needed an 8-7 shootout victory over Luton before squeezing past Fulham 1-0.

A promising sign for this evening, and indeed looking ahead to the second leg, is that Stoke have only failed to score in one of their last 13 League Cup games, with that being a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in December 2013. They have scored 25 times in those 13 outings, although this is the first time that they have reached the semi-finals since 1971-72, when they famously went on to lift the trophy.

The immediate past contains defeat, however. Tony Pulis did the league double over his former side with West Brom at the weekend in a dramatic match that saw all of the goals arrive in the second half. Sessegnon opened the scoring at The Hawthorns before Walters pulled one back with just nine minutes of normal time remaining. Only two more minutes had passed before Geoff Cameron was shown a red card - which has since been rescinded - and the hosts made the most of their numerical advantage when Jonny Evans struck the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.

There was also defeat for Liverpool at the weekend as they fell 2-0 at the hands of West Ham United - succumbing to another league double. Michail Antonio opened the scoring on the break, although Liverpool felt that they should have had a free kick for a foul on Moreno at the very start of the Hammers' move. The second goal arrived from a familiar face as Andy Carroll rose highest inside the area to mark his 150th Premier League appearance with a thumping header that clinched the win against his former club.

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It was more of the same from Liverpool who have had a number of false dawns already under Jurgen Klopp. There have been one or two results which have had people whispering about a potential title challenge this season, but almost straight after that Liverpool fall to a disappointing defeat. That was the case at the weekend, with back-to-back wins over high-flying Leicester and Sunderland leading some to suggest a surge for the top in the second half of the campaign, but suddenly those claims seem farcical once more now.

The defeat leaves Liverpool eighth in the Premier League table with 30 points from their 20 games. The gap to leaders Arsenal is now 12 points - approaching realistically unassailable - while they are a more manageable six points off the top four. They will need to improve if they are to qualify for Champions League football next season, though, and that could well mean Klopp entering the January transfer market over the coming weeks.

So far Klopp has won nine of his 18 outings as Liverpool manager, but a 50% win ratio is not really good enough for a team who are looking for the Champions League and above. Of course, he has been hit by injuries to key players at various points and is still playing with the squad left by Brendan Rodgers, but it hasn't been the dream start that the Reds were hoping for. There have been high points - the away wins over Chelsea, Man City and Southampton - but that consistency is simply not there yet.

Indeed, Liverpool have won just two of their seven matches since that 6-1 drubbing of Southampton in the League Cup quarters, drawing two and losing three in that time. Even more worryingly, they have scored just one away goal in their last five away games since hitting six at St Mary's, failing to score four times and winning just one of those five outings - and that against struggling Sunderland.

Their quarter-final display was undoubtedly the standout performance of the round at the start of December, but the rest of their journey to this semi-final has not been quite as emphatic. The Reds were expected to cruise past Carlisle in their first match but could only manage at 1-1 draw before squeezing past the League Two side on penalties. Bournemouth were also edged out 1-0 before that stunning display against Southampton, where Liverpool came from behind to win 6-1. None of the players who scored those six goals (Sturridge x2, Origi x3, Ibe) is starting tonight, though.

This is the second year in a row that Liverpool have reached the semi-finals of the League Cup - the first time they have managed back-to-back appearance in the last four since 1987. At this stage last season they drew eventual Premier League champions Chelsea and played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the first leg before succumbing to an Ivanovic header in extra time of the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Britannia, which means that it is time for a prediction! This really is a tough one to call, with Stoke impressing against the bigger teams at the moment and Liverpool capable of big performance under Klopp, even if they haven't shown it since the last round of this competition. The main priority for both will be to ensure that they are still in the tie for the second leg in three weeks' time, so I think it could be a rather cagey 1-1 draw.

The Britannia Stadium will hold mixed memories for Liverpool over recent months. They began the current campaign with a 1-0 victory here courtesy of Coutinho's goal in the closing stages and, while the performance on that occasions was not the best, it was certainly a better result than they managed on their last visit. Liverpool travelled here on the final day of last season - Steven Gerrard's last game for the club - but were hammered 6-1 by a rampant Stoke side.

When it comes to the League Cup, however, Liverpool have nothing but positive memories of this fixture. They are unbeaten in five previous meetings with Stoke in this competition, winning four of those and drawing one. The most recent meeting came in October 2011 when a Luis Suarez brace cancelled out a Kenwyne Jones opener to hand Liverpool the win. They went on to lift the trophy that year - one of three occasions in which the Reds have beaten Stoke en route to winning the League Cup (along with 1995 and 2001).

That win in 2001 was a particularly memorable one as Liverpool hammered Stoke 8-0 at the Britannia Stadium, with Robbie Fowler scoring a hat-trick and Markus Babbel and Sami Hyypia among the other names on the scoresheet. Stoke were a Second Division side back then, but it was still an emphatic win and holds a unique place in Liverpool history as the only time that they have ever scored eight goals in an away game.

These two sides are worlds apart when it comes to League Cup pedigree, with Stoke having lifted the trophy just one before, in 1971-72 when they beat Chelsea 2-1 in the final through goals from Terry Conroy and George Eastham. That is also the only major trophy in the club's history, although they do boast a 100% record in League Cup semi-finals have also progressed to the showpiece in 1963-64. By contrast, aside from 18 league titles and five European Cups, Liverpool have won the League Cup a record eight times in their history, the last of which came in 2011-12.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Stoke get us underway at the Britannia as they look to edge ever closer to a rare piece of silverware.

SAVE! Early shooting chance for Liverpool as the ball is given straight to Firmino inside the Stoke half and he lets fly from 30 yards. Butland can't hold on, but it was a simple enough stop for the keeper.

This has been a very positive start from Liverpool. They put Stoke under early pressure with a couple of corners that the Potters just about deal with, albeit rather messily.

Stoke can't get out in these opening exchanges. They are being forced back very deep at the moment and it is one-way traffic for the visitors. Can they turn their early domination into a goal?

Wel, Klopp wasn't happy with his side's "passive" display against West Ham, but he can have no complaints so far. His side have pressed well off the ball and looked to attack when in possession themselves. It is still very early days, but the Liverpool boss will be happy with what he has seen so far.

SAVE! Butland is again called into action here as Lallana is the man afforded space to shoot from 25 yards this time. He puts some good swerve on the ball, but Butland is across to make a strong one-handed stop.

Liverpool are not making it easy for Stoke to settle on the ball here. They are putting the defence and midfield under good pressure on the ball, and Stoke no longer have that target man to hoist a long ball forward to.

A good platform for Liverpool goes begging here as they win the ball back and immediate look to attack. Coutinho tries to slide it into space for Lallana, but the England international is caught on his heels and the ball runs out of play.

Stoke have their first bit of good, prolonged pressure so far tonight, but their attack eventually breaks down and Liverpool immediately break again. Coutinho and Firmino exchange passes just inside the Stoke area, but the latter is unable to get a shot away.

Very important piece of defending from Shawcross as he finds himself isolated up against Coutinho. Allen's ball released the Brazilian, who tried to cut inside past the Stoke defender, but Shawcross hung out a leg and pinched the ball.

Still the pressure comes from Liverpool as Firmino has a shot deflected behind for a corner before the resulting delivery into the box falls to the Brazilian again. He connects beautifully with a volley on the turn, but his strike hits a Stoke man.

After such a bright start, this is not what Liverpool would have wanted. Coutinho goes down with a hamstring problem that he sustained when trying to cross the ball, and he doesn't look like he will be able to carry on here.

LIVERPOOL SUB: That is Coutinho's night over. He trudges off to be replaced by Jordon Ibe.

Shawcross again makes his presence felt out on the left side, this time coming up one on one with Ibe. The Liverpool youngster never looked entirely sure as to what he wanted to do with the ball, and Shawcross can across to get the tackle in before he could do anything.

Stoke certainly have more of a foothold in the game now that Coutinho has made way, but they still haven't been able to pose a threat to Liverpool's goal and it is the visitors who continue to look the more dangerous of the two sides right now.

SHOT! Ibe tries one from range here as he advances with the ball without being closed down, almost as if Stoke are inviting him to shoot. He accepts that invitation, but blazes his effort a few yards off target.

CHANCE! Stoke finally get their first opening of the match, but Bojan gets it all wrong. It is a clever corner routine as Shaqiri sends a low ball into the box for the Spaniard, who peeled off his man and had space. However, he completely fluffs his lines with an attempted first-time effort, while Johnson puts one over the crossbar seconds later.

CHANCE! Liverpool have a chance of their own at the other end as Butland is once again called into action. They work the ball well down the right before a cross into the box is flicked on to Ibe. He never has it fully under control, but is still able to get a shot away that Butland has to save.

Good defending from Lovren as he is alive to Johnson's clever reverse pass as the former Liverpool right-back tried to slip his teammate in down the right channel. Lovren had to get it right going to ground inside the box, and his tackle was well timed.

There is more concern for Liverpool at the moment as Lovren also appears to be holding his hamstring following that challenge on Shaqiri. That is really bad luck for the visitors, who look like losing two key players to hamstring injuries in the first half, adding to their already lengthy injury list.

LIVERPOOL SUB: It is yet another hamstring injury for Liverpool, and Lovren departs to be replaced by James Milner. He is versatile, but I expect it will be Lucas who drops back into defence rather than the returning Milner.

Lucas does indeed drop into the heart of defence, which means that it is him and Toure at the back now. These Stoke attackers may fancy their chances against that pairing.

For all their injury troubles, Liverpool take the lead at the Britannia, and it is one of the substitutes who gets it! Milner threads a pass through to Lallana, who beats the offside trap down the right flank before reaching the byline and cutting the ball back for Allen. The Welshman goes for goal but completely mis-hits his shot, taking it into the path of Ibe. The youngster takes a touch control before sweeping it past Butland from inside the box to give the visitors the lead.

CHANCE! Stoke got in search of an immediate reply and Arnautovic certainly should have done better than this. Johnson makes ground down the right before swinging a fine cross into the middle that Arnautovic galnes wide when he needed to get more on his header.

CHANCE! Chance at the other end now as Firmino robs Whelan of the ball and looks to be clean through on goal, but Shawcross comes across to make a vital challenge.

CHANCE! Another shooting opportunity for Ibe at the far post, and again it is Lallana who creates it. He throws a few step-overs on the byline to create space for the cross before picking out Ibe. The goalscorer takes it down, but sends his shot wide when looking for the top corner.

Stoke can have no complaints at this scoreline - indeed they may be pleased that the deficit is only one at the break. Liverpool have been comfortably the better side in this match so far, with Stoke unable to get going at all in the first half.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

Stoke are denied a free kick in a good position as the referee plays advantage, with Shaqiri picking the ball up. He goes for goal from outside the box, but blazes his effort well over.

SAVE! Mignolet is called upon to make a late save in the first half as Johnson wins the second ball from a corner, sending a good low half-volley towards goal. Mignolet is down well, though, making a smart stop.

The first half comes to an end at the Britannia, then, and it is Jurgen Klopp who will be the happier of the two managers at the interval. His side lead 1-0, and it could well have been more following a dominant opening 45 minutes from the Reds. The hosts are yet to get going, and Mark Hughes is cutting a very angry (and wet) figure on the touchline.

The only goal of the game so far came in the 37th minute through Jordon Ibe, who was only on the field due to an earlier injury to Coutinho. Milner played the ball through to Lallana down the right, and he in turn cut the ball back for Allen. There was an element of fortune that Allen's attempted effort skewed into the path of Ibe, whose first touch wasn't the best but still good enough to allow him to sweep the ball past Butland.

Liverpool have had a number of other openings too during what has been a much-improved performance from the one at the weekend. Ibe himself has sent one wide just four minutes after breaking the deadlock, while moments before that Shawcross was also forced to come across and make a last-ditch challenge on Firmino, who appeared to be clean through on goal until the interception.

Butland has been called upon to make saves from Ibe, Lallana and Firmino too, with Liverpool managing to get into good positions almost every time they come forward. They have played in an aggressive style both on and off the ball, far from the "passive" display that Klopp criticised his team for at the weekend. It hasn't been all good for Liverpool, though, as the Reds have lost both Coutinho and Lovren to hamstring injuries.

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Stoke have been hugely disappointing so far, only managing to create a couple of openings so far. Bojan had the first chance when he failed to connect properly with a well-worked free kick, while Arnautovic's connection with a header moments after the opening goal was also not good enough. Mignolet's first major piece of action came right at the end of the half when he kept out Johnson's effort, but for the most part he has been little more than a spectator.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway at the Britannia, and there has been a change at the break from the hosts as Jonathan Walters replaces Cameron in an attacking change. It certainly seems to have gone down well with the fans!

Can has the first effort of the half as Liverpool come forward down the right before playing it inside for the midfielder, who crabs to the left before cutting back and curling an effort well wide of the far post.

Great opening for Liverpool as Ibe nicks the ball and pokes it through to Firmino, who beats Shawcross to it and finds himself in space down the left channel. He never looks entirely comfortable, however, and his attempted pass back inside is weak and cleared by Johnson.

Well, on the basis of the opening five minutes to the second half, not much has changed here. Liverpool are still playing with a good intensity while Stoke are still struggling to find teammates with their passes or make anything stick up front.

Much better from Stoke now as they put Liverpool under some sustained pressure for the first time tonight. A free kick causes a few problems for the visitors before Johnson blazes a poor effort over from a near-impossible position to score from.

Suddenly Liverpool are right on the back foot and Stoke are knocking on the door here. They pepper the Liverpool box with a series of crosses, but the visitors hold firm this time.

Brilliant challenge from Lucas as Bojan finds a rare bit of space on the edge of the Liverpool box, cutting inside past Toure before Lucas comes flying in to make a last-ditch challenge.

Almost a beauty of a pass from Arnautovic as he splits the Liverpool defence when looking for Shaqiri, who very nearly gets onto the end of it inside the box.

SHOT! Liverpool get their first shooting chance in a while at the other end of the pitch as Firmino picks the ball up on the edge of the box, only to fire his effort well over.

Stoke have had 63% possession in this second half, and the vast majority of that has come in the last 10 minutes. They were pretty poor again in the opening five minutes, but they have improved immeasurably since.

SHOT! Better from Liverpool, who come forward and spend a bit of time inside the Stoke half. Can slides a pass out to Firmino on the right flank and he uses Clyne as a decoy runner before cutting inside and flashes a bouncing effort a yard or so wide of the near post.

OFF THE LINE! Nervy moments for Stoke as first they survive a big penalty appeal when Whelan bumps Allen over before Milner's low effort across goal is cleared off the line.

At the other end a long ball forward almost releases Arnautovic, but his first touch is too heavy and goes straight into the arms of the keeper. A better touch there and he would have been in.

Another penalty shout for Liverpool, this time down the right as Clyne steals in behind Arnautovic before taking the ball into the box. There is a coming-together, but it is shoulder to shoulder and the referee is right to wave away the penalty claims.

CHANCE! Another chance for Liverpool, this time for Ibe as he plays a one-two to send him through on the left side of the area. He has Lallana in the middle, but opts to go for goal himself from a tight angle and can only pick out the side-netting.

CHANCE! End-to-end stuff here as Stoke have a chance now. Shawcross finds himself up in the Liverpool area, towering above Clyne to win a header from Walters's cross. However, he nods it well over the bar when he should have done better.

STOKE SUB: Stoke make another change as Joselu comes on to replace Bojan.

Liverpool are taking their time over restarts now, and the referee is beginning to notice. I wouldn't be too surprised to see a player booked for time-wasting sooner rather than later.

YELLOW CARD! Told you! Mignolet does go into the book for exactly that reason, much to the delight of the home supporters.

SAVE! Oh my word, Firmino almost scores one of the most bizarre goals this season! There appeared to be no danger as the ball was played back to Butland, but he pulled his clearance straight at Firmino, who couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The ball bounces back and threatens to go over Butland, but he reacts in time to pluck it out of the air.

CLOSE! Stoke now almost benefit from a deflection as Joselu cuts inside and drives one towards goal from the edge of the area. Toure gets the block in, but the ball loops up and needs Mignolet to tip it over.

The resulting corner is swung to the back post and finds Joselu, but he is stretching for it and can't do anything but put it behind for a goal kick.

SHOT! Firmino has had plenty of efforts tonight, and another comes from range here as he drives one towards goal from a good 30 yards. He hits it well enough, but it flies comfortably over the crossbar.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool make their third and final change of the evening as Allen is replaced by Christian Benteke.

Stoke have certainly improved in this second half, but they have less than 10 minutes to turn that into an equaliser now. They won't want to go to Anfield trailing by a goal to nil in the tie.

Good defending from Toure as Shaqiri robs Ibe of possession on the right flank before racing to the byline and flying past Lucas. Toure throws himself in the way of the cross to concede a corner, though.

STOKE SUB: Final throw of the dice from Mark Hughes here as former Liverpool man Peter Crouch comes on to replace Shaqiri.

Just five minutes are left for Stoke now, and it is going to be largely route one football from now on you feel. Stoke have lacked a target man for much of this match, but with Crouch on the field they will surely hoist more long balls forward in these closing stages.

One such cross arrives towards the head of Crouch, but Mignolet comes flying out of his goal and gets enough on the ball to send it behind for a corner.

Liverpool have been forced to weather a storm in this second half, but they look on course to take a lead into the second leg at Anfield, which will take place on Tuesday, January 26.

Surely not another one? Toure pulls up with a hamstring injury as well - the third one suffered by Liverpool tonight alone. Toure is going to soldier on until the end of this match, but that may well only aggravate the injury.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

CHANCE! Big chance for Stoke to grab a late, late equaliser as a long ball forward is flicked on by Crouch through to Walters. He has space down the left channel, but drags his effort a few yards wide of the far post.

The referee brings an end to proceedings at the Britannia and it is Liverpool who take the lead into the second leg at Anfield in three weeks courtesy of a 1-0 victory. The visitors were comfortably the better side in the opening 45 minutes, despite losing Coutinho and Lovren to hamstring injuries, but they were forced to weather a storm as Stoke improved after the interval. On the balance of play, though, the Reds deserve their lead at the halfway stage of the tie and will now be favourites to reach Wembley for yet another League Cup final.

The only goal of the game came from Jordon Ibe in the first half after the winger had earlier been brought on to replace in the injured Coutinho. There was an element of luck about the goal as Joe Allen's attempted shot in the end turned out to be a perfect assist as he skewed Lallana's cut-back into the path of Ibe. The youngster took a touch before sweeping his finish beyond Butland for what proved to be the winner on the night.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's League Cup semi-final first leg as Liverpool take control of the tie with a 1-0 victory over Stoke. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. We will also have live coverage of tomorrow's semi-final first leg between Everton and Manchester City, so we look forward to having you back for that! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!