Premier League: Liverpool prepare for AS Roma clash with goalless draw against relegation-threatened Stoke City

Liverpool: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted his side were below their best against Stoke City as they prepared for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Roma with a goalless stalemate at Anfield on Saturday. The Reds head to the Italian capital on Wednesday with a 5-2 advantage from the first leg and do so on the back of a Premier League match they controlled for long periods without over-exerting themselves in search of a winner. [caption id=“attachment_4449533” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson appeal for handball against Stoke City. AFP[/caption] The goalless draw with the Potters left Liverpool with a healthy cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea and in need of a maximum of four points from their remaining two matches to guarantee qualification for the Champions League via a top-four finish. ‘Rhythm-breaker’ “I saw everything I wanted to see except fluency and fun and joy,” Klopp said. “It is hard on a day like this. “We had to make changes, that is always a bit of a rhythm-breaker, in the final third everything is instinct between the regulars, and we missed a bit of that. But no-one was seriously injured so we carry on.” Klopp made five changes from the side which beat Roma in the first leg, with Sadio Mane the most notable absentee from the starting line-up as he missed out with a thigh problem. The Senegal winger will be fit for the trip to Rome and Klopp revealed there are a couple of players carrying slight injuries, including captain Jordan Henderson. “There are always knocks here and there after the games,” Klopp said. “Hendo twisted his ankle but could carry on. That is a good sign rather than a bad one. “Joe Gomez got an early knock as well, twisted his ankle as well a little bit so we will have to see about that. Sadio didn’t play so he will be fine for Wednesday.” Stoke have never won a top-flight match at Anfield — the longest unbeaten home record between two teams in top-flight history — with their last league victory there in Division Two in 1959. There was never any danger of that statistic being altered as Liverpool dominated yet only sporadically tested visiting goalkeeper Jack Butland. This was also a game where Mohamed Salah endured, by his exceptionally high standards, what must be considered a rare off day as he failed to score in a home league game for the first time since December 26. Egypt international Salah missed Liverpool’s best chance in the fifth minute when he was sent clear only to clip the ball wide, while referee Andre Marriner denied the hosts a penalty when Georginio Wijnaldum’s cross struck the arm of Erik Pieters. “For me, it looked a penalty, a clear one,” Klopp said. “I said a few times in games like this, maybe in the Champions League against Manchester City we were lucky, in the Premier League, not one time. “We should have got more penalties, we don’t have them.” Stoke manager Paul Lambert praised the performance of his players although the Potters need results elsewhere to go their way to have any hope of avoiding relegation. “We came here against a team with one foot in the Champions League final,” he said. “And we handled everything. The performance of the team was outstanding. “I have never been beaten here in six games as a manager and once as a player. It makes the last couple of games interesting. Hopefully, we’ll get a favour.” Meanwhile, Klopp urged Liverpool supporters thinking of travelling to Rome not to go to the Stadio Olimpico if they were worried about their safety after a Reds fan was subjected to a brutal attack outside Anfield by away fans before the first leg. “If you don’t feel safe, stay in the hotel, go home again and we do the job without the people,” he added. “Nobody should be afraid or whatever.”