A Philippe Coutinho thunderbolt helped Liverpool FC beat Stoke City last night, and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has hailed the brilliance of the Brazilian.
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The Belgian shot-stopper insisted that he knew Coutinho was going to score when the Brazilian cut inside after receiving the ball on the left flank. Coutinho netted the winner in the 86th minute in a drab encounter between the two sides at the Britannia. Last season’s final game between the two sides saw Stoke City produce one of their most scintillating performances as they hit six past Mignolet in Steven Gerrard’s last Premier League game.
The moment Philippe got the ball out of his feet and cut inside I was shouting a shoot!’ – Simon Mignolet
Speaking in an interview, as quoted by LiverpoolEcho, the goal-keeper said, “I knew what was going to happen. The moment Philippe got the ball out of his feet and cut inside I was shouting a shoot!a
a He did the same at Bolton and Blackburn last season. We all knew what was going to happen.
a I see that quality from him every day in training. That great talent is something he was born with. He also works his socks off for the team. Hopefully wea ll see a lot more of that from him this season.a
Coutinho has seen his reputation as a long-range scorer grow over the years. The Brazilian netted three goals from outside of the box last term and has already opened his account on the first day of the new season. Liverpool FC were looking at an opening day draw following a summer of complete overhaul, before Coutinho stepped up and robbed the Potters of the potential one point which they probably deserved.
Brendan Rodgers needs to help his players build team cohesion
The game saw the debut of A?32.5 million man Christian Benteke, who started the game as the lone striker. New signing Roberto Firmino was also introduced in the second half when the Anfield club were searching for a winner. The Reds didn’t create much of note in terms of offence and Brendan Rodgers would be worried ahead of next week’s clash against newly promoted Bournemouth.
The Reds lacked cohesion and attacking verve in the narrow victory over Stoke. Rodgers has a huge task at hand of rallying his now reinforced troops to function as a team, if they are to challenge for the top 4 this season. Liverpool FC would look to hit top-gear as soon as possible ahead of a tough set of fixtures away from home.