Liverpool’s penultimate game of 2016 saw them run out 4-1 victors over Stoke City at Anfield.
After Jonathan Walters had given the visitors a first half lead, an equaliser from Adam Lallana after 34 minutes followed by a second by Roberto Firmino ten minutes later saw Jürgen Klopp’s men ahead at the break.
A Giannelli Imbula own goal with just over half an hour left effectively ended any hopes of a Stoke City comeback, taking Liverpool’s tally of Premier League goals under Klopp to 99. At this point, Neil Ruddock, who played for Liverpool between 1993 and 1998, would’ve hoped that his former side waited for the New Year’s Eve visit of Manchester City before making it a century.
As he later revealed on his Twitter account, Ruddock had stuck a tenner on Liverpool winning 3-1 with Walters scoring first for Stoke. Odds of 150/1 meant that he would have netted £1,500 if the game had finished this way.
Thanks to Daniel Sturridge, it wasn’t to be.
Making the most of a perfectly-weighted through ball from Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross, Sturridge rounded Lee Grant and slotted home Liverpool’s fourth of the game.
Not even funny 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/Ud1TWl86oy
— Neil Ruddock (@RealRazor) December 27, 2016
It might well have cost Razor his bet, but Sturridge’s goal – his first in the league this season – means that Klopp has now matched the club record of scoring 100 goals in 48 league games set by Kenny Dalglish’s side in the eighties.
