Some say revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, it’s been four and a half months since we suffered a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham at White Hart Lane, in what was undoubtedly one of the worst performances of the season for the Reds. Three points are a must as we embark on four massive fixtures over the next month, beginning with Spurs’ visit to Anfield, followed by the potentially explosive trip to Old Trafford Sunday week, then we travel to Wembley to face Cardiff in the League Cup final, before we play host to fellow Champions League hopefuls Arsenal at the beginning of March.

Liverpool will also be keen to end a run of three consecutive defeats suffered at the hands of Spurs (home and away) and in doing so, prevent Spurs from claiming their first league double over us since the 1986/87 season.

Spurs have changed their personnel somewhat during the January transfer window, adding Louis Saha (aged 33) and Ryan Nelsen (34) to their ranks, while letting Steven Pienaar (29), Sebastien Bassong (25) and Vedran Corluka (25) leave on loan and Roman Pavlyuchenko (30) sealing a permanent move to Lokomotiv Moskow , as Harry Redknapp builds for the long-term in classic ‘Arry style.

Despite the plethora of names linked with moves to Liverpool in January, no new first-team players were added to the squad but the return of Luis Suarez following his eight match ban to competitive action is like a £50m attacking tour-de-force added to the team, to complement the in-form Craig Bellamy, Andy Carroll and Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool suddenly don’t look like a team in desperate need of a new striker.

Special mention must be given to Dirk Kuyt who scored his 50^th league goal for the club against Wolves, putting him joint 30^th on Liverpool’s leading league goalscorers list, while he is also ranked in 30^th outright on our all-time goalscorers list (69 goals in all competitions), whilst not forgetting he is ranked in 5^th place on our top European goalscorers list with 15 goals.

He may have had a poor first half of the season by his standards but he hasn’t lost his knack for scoring important goals which should not be overlooked.

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After Liverpool’s double cup triumphs over Man City and Man Utd in the League and FA Cups respectively, it’s now time to re-focus on matters in the Premier League as we travel to Molineux (19.45 kick off) to face Mick McCarthy’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side on Tuesday evening.

Six points separate us from 4^th placed Chelsea but with 46pts still up for grabs, a 4^th place finish is still an achievable aim for Kenny and the boys. With some tough fixtures ahead against Tottenham (at Anfield), Manchester Utd (Old Trafford) and Arsenal (at Anfield) – not forgetting the League Cup final sandwiched in-between the latter two fixtures – picking up three points at Molineux would greatly add to the growing confidence that has came from our recent exploits in the domestic cups.

•    Liverpool: 7th – P: 22 W: 9 D: 8 L: 5 F: 25 A: 21 GD: +4 Pts: 35
•    Wolves: 19th – P: 22 W: 4 D: 6 L: 12 F: 25 A: 40 GD: -15 Pts: 18

Liverpool v Wolves (away Premier League fixtures only):

•   Played: 3 Won: 1 Drawn: 2 Lost: 0 F: 4 A: 1 GD: +3 Pts: 5

Liverpool’s overall league record v Wolves (includes Premier League stats):

•    Total – P: 93 W: 46 D: 17 L: 30 F: 143 A: 108
•    Home – P: 47 W: 31 D: 7 L: 9 F: 83 A: 42
•    Away – P: 46 W: 15 D: 10 L: 21 F: 60 A: 66

Liverpool’s biggest victories and defeats v Wolves at Molineux (league):

•    Biggest away win (overall): 6-0 (28/9/1968)
•    Biggest away defeat (overall): 4-1 (25/11/1980)
•    Biggest away win (Premier League): 3-0 (22/1/2011)
•    Biggest away defeat (Premier League): N/A

A number of Liverpool’s milestone goals have been scored against Wolves but one of the most significant milestones was achieved by Kenny Dalglish in 1978 when he scored our 4,999^th and 5000^th league goals in a 3-1 victory at Molineux during the 1977/78 campaign.

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With one cup final appearance already in the bag this season, Liverpool have the chance to reach the 5^th round of the FA Cup by eliminating 11 times winners Manchester Utd at Anfield. The clubs met each other last season at the 3^rd round stage of the competition at Old Trafford, in what was Dalglish’s first game in charge of his second spell at the club. The Red Devils secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a penalty from Ryan Giggs after just two minutes, before Steven Gerrard was sent off 28 minutes later.

The two clubs also met at the 5^th round stage at Anfield in 2006, a match which Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to a Peter Crouch header. That victory was our first against the Red Devils in the FA Cup since 1921, although there were only nine meetings in that competition between 1921 and 2006. We went on to win the FA Cup that year and a similar result (and eventual outcome) on Saturday would do very nicely!

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Our woes in the league take a back seat for a week as our focus turns to reaching a first cup final since 2007 and a potential first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium. The winners of this tie will face either Crystal Palace or Cardiff City of the Championship, with the winners of the competition booking their place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory in the first-leg thanks to a Steven Gerrard penalty. So what is needed in terms of a result that will see us book our place in the final? A win or draw of any scoreline would be enough to send us through to the final, while a City victory of a solitary goal would see the game go to extra-time. If after extra-time the score is 1-0 to Man City then the tie will be decided on penalties. If after extra-time the score reads 2-1 or 3-2 (or 4-3, 5-4 and so on) to Man City then they will go through courtesy of the away goals rule. Simple.

Liverpool’s League Cup record v Manchester City:

• P: 5 W: 3 D: 1 L: 1 F: 9 A: 4

Liverpool’s overall record in the League Cup:

• P: 210 W: 126 D: 42 L: 42 F: 425 A: 200

This is Liverpool’s fourteenth semi-final appearance in this competition since 1978 – the year when we first reached this stage – and we’ve only failed to reach the final on three occasions. Our tally of ten League Cup final appearances and seven cup final victories are both tournament records.

There have been three previous occasions when Liverpool have secured a 1-0 lead after the first leg and on each occasion we have gone on to reach the final (going on to lift the trophy on two of those occasions). The 1981 semi-final against Man City saw us secure a 1-0 victory at Maine Road with the second leg at Anfield finishing 1-1. In 1995, we defeated Crystal Palace at Anfield 1-0 and won the second leg at Selhurst Park by the same scoreline. More recently, we defeated Watford at Anfield 1-0 and won by the same scoreline at Vicarage Road in the second leg.

Finally, according to Opta Joe: Only two of the 25 teams to have previously won away in the 1st leg of a League Cup semi-final have failed to reach the final.

Liverpool’s record at the semi-final second leg stage of the League Cup:

• P: 13 W: 6 D: 5 L: 2 F: 20 A: 9

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Liverpool’s trip to the Reebok Stadium on Saturday comes before two high profile cup encounters with the Manchesters of City (League Cup semi-final 2^nd leg, Wednesday) and  United (FA Cup 4^th round, Saturday). Fourth place is still an achievable goal despite yet another disappointing home draw against Stoke, so our complete focus needs to be on securing maximum points against a Bolton Wanderers side who are beset by injury concerns and who have the poorest home record in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool secured a 3-1 win at Anfield over Owen Coyle’s side and we have an excellent record against Bolton in the Premier League, winning six of the 12 matches played.

Liverpool v Bolton (away Premier League fixtures only):

•   Played: 12 Won: 6 Drawn: 3 Lost: 3 F: 19 A: 15 GD: +4 Pts: 21

Liverpool’s overall league record v Bolton (including PL fixtures):

•    Total – P: 117 W: 53 D: 29 L: 35 F: 190 A: 139
•    Home – P: 59 W: 33 D: 16 L: 10 F: 113 A: 56
•    Away – P: 58 W: 20 D: 13 L: 25 F: 77 A: 83

Liverpool’s biggest away win and defeat v Bolton (league):

•    Biggest away win (overall): 4 – 0 (21/9/1907)
•    Biggest away defeat (overall): 8 – 1 (7/5/1932)
•    Biggest away win (Premier League): 3 – 1 (2/3/2008)
•    Biggest away defeat (Premier League): 2 – 0 (30/9/2006)

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After two successful domestic cup fixtures that have seen Liverpool progress to the 4^th round of the FA Cup thanks to a 5-1 victory over Oldham, and secure a 1-0 semi-final first leg victory over Manchester City in the League Cup, focus for the Reds once again returns to matters in the Premier League and the battle for a top four place.

Stoke City visit Anfield hoping to inflict a first home league defeat of the campaign on Kenny Dalglish’s side, and only the second since he took over as manager. The Potters have had a relatively successful season so far, progressing to the 4^th round of the FA Cup – where they face Derby County – and have a prestigious fixture against Spanish giants Valencia in the Europa League to look forward to next month.

Tony Pulis’ side currently occupy eighth place in the Premier League – four points behind Liverpool – and they inflicted our first defeat of the season with a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium back in September. Victory for the Potters would see them record a first league ‘double’ over Liverpool since the 1956/57 campaign when both teams were in Division Two.

Liverpool’s home Premier League record against Stoke City:

• P: 3 W: 2 D: 1 L: 0 F: 6 A: 0 GD: +6 Pts: 7

Liverpool’s overall record against Stoke City in the league:

•    Total – P: 113 W: 55 D: 30 L: 28 F: 183 A: 117
•    Home – P: 56 W: 43 D: 10 L: 3 F: 127 A: 36
•    Away – P: 57 W: 12 D: 20 L: 25 F: 56 A: 81

Liverpool’s biggest victories and defeats v Stoke City at Anfield (league):

•    Biggest win (overall): 7-0 (4/1/1902)
•    Biggest defeat (overall): 4-2 (5/3/1955)
•    Biggest win (Premier League): 4-0 (19/8/2009)
•    Biggest defeat (Premier League): N/A

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FORM

Liverpool have lost just two of their last 15 Premier League games, with both defeats coming away from Anfield against Fulham (1-0) and Man City (3-0). The Reds have drawn five and won two of their last seven home fixtures in the league but remain one of only two teams – the other being Manchester City – that can still boast an unbeaten home record this season.

Stoke City have lost just one of their last eight Premier League fixtures – a 3-0 defeat away to Manchester City – as they have recovered from a poor start to the campaign which saw the Potters pick up just three victories from the opening 12 fixtures.

Tony Pulis’ side have won three of their last four away games; 1-0 over Everton, 2-1 over Wolves and 2-1 over bottom side Blackburn, so they should approach this fixture with confidence of achieving a positive result.

•    Liverpool: 6th – P: 20 W: 9 D: 7 L: 4 F: 24 A: 18 GD: +6 Pts: 34
•    Stoke City: 8th – P: 20 W: 8 D: 5 L: 7 F: 22 A: 31 GD: -9 Pts: 29

TEAMS

Luis Suarez misses game four of his eight match ban. Jay Spearing (hamstring) could be sidelined for a couple of weeks, while Lucas (knee) is Liverpool’s only long-term absentee through injury.

Stoke are missing Mamady Sidibie (knee) and Andy Wilkinson (knee) through injury.

Liverpool:

Goalkeepers: Reina, Doni
Defenders: Johnson, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Coates, Enrique, Aurelio
Midfielders: Henderson, Adam, Gerrard (c), Maxi, Downing, Shelvey
Strikers: Carroll, Bellamy, Kuyt

Stoke City:

Goalkeepers: Begovic, Nash
Defenders: Huth, Higginbotham, Collins, Shawcross (c), Upson, Shotton, Woodgate, Wilson
Midfielders: Pennant, Etherington, Delap (c), Whitehead, Soares, Whelan, Diao, Tonge, Palacios, Arismendi, Lund,
Strikers: Jones, Fuller, Walters, Crouch, Jerome

Top scorers (Premier League):

Liverpool:

• Suarez – 5
• Bellamy – 4

Stoke City:

• Crouch – 6
• Walters – 5

Just over a week has passed since we lost 3-0 to Manchester City at Eastlands in the Premier League. A week is a long time in the world of football and since that result, Liverpool have progressed to the 4^th round of the FA Cup – where we will face Manchester Utd at Anfield – thanks to a 5-1 victory over Oldham Athletic.

Man City were eliminated from the same competition, losing 3-2 to Man Utd after having their captain – Vincent Kompany – sent off after just 12 minutes into the contest. City appealed Kompany’s dismissal but failed, so he now gets an extra game ban and misses four matches, including both legs of the League Cup semi-final.

On top of the above, Yaya and Kolo Toure are unavailable for Roberto Mancini as they represent the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, so the City side that faces Liverpool could be a weaker team (on paper) than the one that inflicted our second heaviest defeat of the season, and they will be missing their two stand-out players that night in Kompany and Yaya Toure.

LEAGUE CUP HISTORY

Liverpool have faced Manchester City on four occasions in the League Cup, and if you’re looking for a lucky omen, the 1980/81 League Cup campaign could provide just that. We faced City in the semi-finals of the competition that season, winning the first leg at Maine Road 1-0 thanks to an 81’ minute strike from Ray Kennedy. The 2^nd leg at Anfield finished 1-1 with Kenny Dalglish scoring for the Reds, meaning we won the tie 2-1 on aggregate. Liverpool went on to defeat West Ham Utd in the final (after a replay) and won the competition four years in a row from 1981 to 1984.

Liverpool’s League Cup record v Manchester City:

• P: 4 W: 2 D: 1 L: 1 F: 8 A: 4

Liverpool’s overall record in the League Cup:

• P: 209 W: 125 D: 42 L: 42 F: 424 A: 200

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Liverpool begin their FA Cup campaign with a home tie against League One outfit Oldham Athletic. A tie at Anfield at the third round stage of this competition is a relatively rare occurrence for the Reds. Over the last nine seasons, we’ve been drawn at home on just one occasion: in 2007 against Arsenal, who beat us 3-1. Looking back even further, out of 25 FA Cup 3^rd round games since the 1986 5-0 home victory over Norwich City, just six were played at Anfield.

Our record in domestic cup competition this season has been impressive, with four victories from four ties in the League Cup, which has earned us a place in the semi-finals of that competition. Oldham were eliminated at the first round stage of the League Cup, losing on penalties to Carlisle, while they have overcome Burton Albion (3-1) at the first round and Southend Utd (1-0 following a replay) at the second round stage of the FA Cup respectively.

FA CUP HISTORY

Liverpool have lifted the FA Cup on seven occasions, with the last victory coming in 2006 when we defeated West Ham Utd on penalties after the game finished 3-3 after normal and then extra time. Our other triumphs in the FA Cup came in 2001 (against Arsenal), 1992 (Sunderland), 1989 (Everton), 1986 (Everton), 1974 (Newcastle) and 1965 (Leeds Utd).

Only three sides have lifted the FA Cup on more occasions than Liverpool: Man Utd with 11 victories, Arsenal with ten and Spurs with eight. The Reds have also been runners up on six occasions, losing to Burnley in 1914, Arsenal in 1950, Arsenal again in 1971, Manchester Utd in 1977, Wimbledon in 1988 and Manchester Utd in 1996. Only Everton with eight losing final appearances and Newcastle, Manchester Utd and Arsenal – all with seven – have lost more FA Cup finals than Liverpool.

Oldham have never reached an FA Cup final but they have reached three semi-finals. The first was in 1913 where they lost to eventual winners Aston Villa 1-0. Their second semi appearance came in 1990 where they held Manchester Utd to a 3-3 draw, before losing the replay 2-1. Oldham again reached the semi-finals just four years later where they again faced Manchester Utd. They held the Old Trafford outfit to a 1-1 draw before losing the replay 4-1. Man Utd went on to lift the trophy on both occasions.

ABOUT OUR OPPONENTS

Pine Villa Football Club were founded in 1895 but they ceased to exist in July 1899 (as did Oldham County FC) with Oldham Athletic being born in their place. The Latics  hit the ground running early in their history, gaining access to the football league in 1907/08 before earning their place in England’s top division just three years later. As mentioned above, Oldham reached the FA Cup semi-finals during the 1912/13 season and got as far as the quarter-final stage during the 1914/15 campaign before they were knocked out by eventual winners Sheffield United following a replay.

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Liverpool enter 2012 just two points off 4^th placed Arsenal – and level on points with 5^th placed Chelsea -  thanks to a 3-1 victory over Newcastle Utd at Anfield. With Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Spurs and Chelsea all dropping points, the Reds are in a good position to challenge for a place in next season’s Champions League as we enter the second half of the campaign.

Kenny Dalglish’s side also have a League Cup semi-final to look forward to, so despite our inconsistencies (especially at Anfield), we have a lot of positives to focus on in the days and weeks ahead.

The start of the new year also means the January transfer window is now open and with Luis Suarez facing an eight-match ban, the Reds may feel the need to bolster their attacking ranks with a new striker. The return to action of Steven Gerrard – who scored in the victory over the Magpies – will be a huge boost for the second-half of the campaign and if FSG, Comolli and Dalglish decide not to add to the current squad, it may be the perfect opportunity for Andy Carroll to step up and cement a place in the side.

Liverpool’s away Premier League record against Manchester City:

•   Played: 14 Won: 3 Drawn: 8 Lost: 3 F: 15 A: 15 GD: 0 Pts: 17

Liverpool’s overall record against Manchester City in the league:

•    Total:    P: 151 W: 75 D: 38 L: 38 F: 269 A: 197
•    Home:  P: 76 W: 46 D: 17 L: 13 F: 157 A: 93
•    Away:   P: 75 W: 29 D: 21 L: 25 F: 112 A: 104

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Liverpool will be hoping to end 2011 in style as we play host to Newcastle Utd at Anfield in our final game of the calendar year. As 2011 comes to a close it may be worth remembering where we were this time last year, especially with the disappointment of yet another home draw fresh in our minds.

The date was December 29^th and we had just suffered a 1-0 defeat at Anfield by Mick McCarthy’s Wolves – a side that would go on to escape relegation by a single point come the season’s end. We were managed by a man who was voted Manager of the Year for 2010 and the Liverpool faithful – so impressed by what he was doing with our club – deemed Hodgson good enough to manage England, as chants of “Hodgson for England” rang out from the Kop. Chants of “Dalglish, Dalglish” were also heard at Anfield as the Hodgson tenure reached a new low during that defeat by Wolves.

As the boos faded from Anfield that night, Liverpool’s league statistics read:

• Pos: 12^th P: 18 W: 6 D: 4 L: 8 F: 21 A: 23 GD: -2 Pts: 22

We were ten points behind 4^th placed Chelsea and just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Not long into the new year, Liverpool supporters got their wish as Dalglish returned to manage Liverpool and almost instantly transformed the club, removing the crushing negativity and restoring our pride and passion that had slowly been eroded under Hodgson.

Back to the present and despite suffering another disappointing draw at Anfield on Boxing Day, Liverpool received no boos or chants of “Dalglish for Scotland”. The Anfield support is still 100% behind Dalglish as we sit just three points behind 4^th placed Chelsea and 17 points clear of the relegation zone.

Infuriatingly inconsistent we may be, but we’ve came a long way over the past 12 months, with so much changing for the better since Dalglish returned to the helm. We remain a work in progress though, and unfortunately sometimes making that step up to a higher level can take time.

For a more recent example of improvement taking time, we only have to look at how we performed as a club under Rafa Benitez between 2004 and 2008. It wasn’t until 2008/09 that we reached a level where we realistically challenged for the title. Even then we had disappointing results and performances that season, despite achieving the highest number of points reached by a team not to win the title. Evolution – in whatever form you want to view it as – takes time. We are evolving as a team and as a club.

Liverpool’s Premier League record v Newcastle Utd at Anfield:

•   Played: 17 Won: 14 Drawn: 2 Lost: 1 F: 42 A: 15 Pts: 44

Liverpool’s overall record against Newcastle Utd in the league (includes PL stats):

•    Total:   P: 150 W: 72 D: 37 L: 41 F: 263 A: 187
•    Home:  P: 75 W: 50 D: 14 L: 11 F: 172 A: 76
•    Away:   P: 75 W: 22 D: 23 L: 30 F: 91 A: 111

Liverpool’s biggest home victories and defeats v Newcastle Utd (league):

•    Biggest home win (overall): 6-0 (26/8/1967)
•    Biggest home defeat (overall): 5-1 (14/12/1907)
•    Biggest home win (Premier League):  3-0 (on four occasions)
•    Biggest home defeat (Premier League): 2-0 (16/4/1994)

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