Liverpool suffer season's first defeat, go down 0-1 to Stoke City thanks to Jon Walters' penalty

Kenny Dalglish was condemned to his first defeat of the season after Jon Walters extended Stoke's remarkable hoodoo over Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium.


Stoke City's Jon Walters (right) celebrates after converting from
the penalty spot during Saturday's EPL match against Liverpool
in Stoke. PIC/AFP

A 21st-minute penalty from Walters was enough for Stoke to preserve their own unbeaten record this season and secure their fourth successive home game against their opponents without defeat.

Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios both made their debuts for Stoke but it was the man whose place looks under jeopardy who delivered the hammer blow to his home town.

Born ten miles away from Anfield in Merseyside, Walters won and scored the spot kick that only served to keep the feel-good factor buzzing around the Potteries.

Liverpool and Stoke were two of the biggest, and most successful, spenders in the transfer window, with Dalglish and Tony Pulis forking out nearly ufffd80 million between them this summer.

But despite the vast outlay by Dalglish he still cannot find the formula for Liverpool to win at the Britannia Stadium.

This was their fourth trip in the Premier League and Walters's goal was enough to send them back to Merseyside contemplating another defeat.