Rodgers relieved to keep Coutinho on

A Philippe Coutinho thunderbolt helped Liverpool FC beat Stoke City last night, and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has hailed the brilliance of the Brazilian.

Gomez arrived at Anfield earlier this summer from Championship club Charlton Athletic and the youngster was entrusted with his first Premier League start by Rodgers during the Reds’ visit to the Britannia – the site of their crushing 6-1 defeat last season. It may not have happened for him against Stoke, but it’s just one game.

“I can’t profess to be any sort of genius, it was fortunate he stayed on and he scored the victor and we won the game”. “To get a win where we were 11 weeks ago, I thought it was an outstanding collective performance”, Rodgers said.

Stoke got deeper as the game drifted away and Coutinho eventually punished the hosts with a trademark drive from distance.

“We could’ve done better to stop the move and it was gutting to lose in that way because we fully deserved something from that game”. We knew we would have to defend well, and then we know we have the quality to go and win the game. “Today you saw a team with determination and will”.

Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Napoli have expressed interest in signing Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva this summer, according to reports.

Coutinho, who played only one pre-season game due to his late return after featuring for Brazil at the Copa America, was set to be replaced by Danny Ings as Liverpool searched for a victor.

He said: “I would’ve been happy if we’d picked up a clean sheet but it wasn’t the worst way to start the season”. The away team were understandably eager that the same fate did not befall them again and while they defended considerably better than that fateful day in May, there was not much to be said about them going forward.

Rodgers is well known for bringing young players through his sides, and his opening victory over Stoke gave no indication that this is a policy he should abandon.

“I felt we should have had a penalty when Afellay had a shot and Clyne basically saved it with both his arms – he could have got out of the way but made a definite movement to stop it going goalbound”.