The shadow this fixture has cast over Liverpool's hopes in recent seasons was emphasised by the sheer effort they expended in finally emerging from it.

At long last, it was rule, rather than rue, Britannia.A first victory in this intimidating arena on a freezing, rain-swept afternoon will not send shockwaves all the way to the Etihad, but Brendan Rodgers recognised it as being crucial to his side reaching the Champions League.

Liverpool are back to fourth and this was a statement, amid the carnage of defensive errors that produced a Sunday League score from what was, at times, like a Sunday League game, that theirs is a challenge going to the wire.

That they made such hard work of it, carelessly allowing Stoke to cancel out a two-goal deficit and then twice more offering encouragement when they should have closed the game out, is seemingly par for the course.

They have conceded at least twice in seven of their last eight away games.

But while Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are fit, and in tandem, Rodgers will believe anything is possible.

"What a dynamic duo," tweeted Liverpool owner John W Henry in between the fourth and fifth goals that were set up by one and plundered by the other

Sturridge had only been on the pitch five minutes following a six-week absence with an ankle injury when he led a counter-attack, driving deep into enemy territory before cutting inside Steven Nzonzi and then flicking a delightful pass to Suarez.

The finish, curled around Jack Butland from the left-hand side of the area, was unerring - and roles were soon to be reversed.

Suarez's cross to the far post was met by the outstretched boot of his partner and, though Butland denied Sturridge, he controlled the rebound with his chest and then his head before dispatching a close-range volley.

When they are on the pitch together either Suarez or Sturridge scores every 56 minutes and they continue to point the way forward. That Stoke's Jon Walters scored in between those efforts, turning Kolo Toure inside-out before beating Simon Mignolet too easily, merely encapsulated a see-saw contest.

The neutral was enthralled, though home manager Mark Hughes fumed about what he felt was a 50th- minute turning point.

Marc Wilson's day was adhering to an error-ridden script when Raheem Sterling charged down a loose pass, scampered into the penalty area and drew the defender into a mistimed challenge. There was contact as Wilson brushed Sterling's hip rather than the ball, but it did not take much for him to go down.

Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, where his assistant had offered no reaction, and Steven Gerrard sent Butland the wrong way. The moment nudged Liverpool back into the lead, though Rodgers will have been incensed that it had come to that.

Gerrard on his 650th appearance for the club, had been deployed in a holding role to exert more control and, for 38 minutes, it worked, even if Stoke's own role in their demise was undeniable. A 30-yard shot from on-loan Aly Cissokho that was flashing 20 yards wide, suddenly cannoned off the unsuspecting Ryan Shawcross and left Butland fishing the ball from his net within five minutes of his full league debut.

Later, when Martin Skrtel hoofed a clearance from one penalty area to the other neither Wilson, nor Shawcross, dealt with the moment decisively and Suarez tapped home. It should have brought breathing space, but instead induced more of lapses in concentration.

Peter Crouch stepped away from the dozing Toure and directed a clever header from Marko Arnautovic's cross into the corner of the net before another Liverpool old-boy, Charlie Adam smashed a left-footed shot beyond Mignolet.

Source: Daily Express