Liverpool  5 - 1  Stoke City      
   
Saturday 5 March 1983 15:00 Division One
 
Liverpool Stoke City
5 - 1  (2-0)
 
GOAL
 Dalglish 7, 47, Neal 35, Johnston 76, Souness 89  Bracewell 49
 
  1  Bruce Grobbelaar
  2  Phil Neal
  3  Alan Kennedy
  4  Mark Lawrenson
  5  Ronnie Whelan
  6  Alan Hansen
  7  Kenny Dalglish
  8  Sammy Lee
  9  Ian Rush
 10  Craig Johnston
 11  Graeme Souness (c)

 Subs:
 12  David Hodgson
    1  Peter Fox
  2  Steve Parkin
  3  Peter Hampton
  4  Paul Bracewell
  5  Dave Watson (c)
  6  George Berry
  7  Ian Painter
  8  Sammy McIlroy
  9  Brendan O'Callaghan
 10  Mickey Thomas
 11  Mark Chamberlain

 Subs:
 12  David McAughtrie
 
SUBSTITUTIONS
   Painter (McAughtrie 50)
 
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: John Key (Rotherham)
 Booked:  Booked:
VENUE MANAGERS
Anfield (capacity )
Attendance: 30,020
Bob Paisley (Liverpool)
Richard Barker (Everton)

  Price: 35 pence

  Notes:

  - Stoke City used away kits all sky blue.

    Stoke caught the full force of the backlash from the Red's midweek European Cup defeat in Poland as the First Division title was hauled three points nearer to Anfield.

  This was just the tonic manager Bob Paisley demanded after a somewhat lean spell, and the only puzzle was that Liverpool did not make goalkeeper Peter Fox's life more of a misery.

  They were on their way to victory as early as the seventh minute when Kenny Dalglish flicked the ball into the penalty area then converted Ron Whelan's return header from close range.

  The Kop had to wait until ten minutes before the break for goal No 2 from Phil Neal, who collected the ball near the halfway line, advanced then unleashed a left-foot shot which took a deflection on the way before going in off a post.

  Two minutes after the restart, Dalglish performed a simple tap-in after good approach work from Sammy Lee and Ian Rush.

  Craig Johnston was credited with Liverpool's fourth after Parkin's attempted clearance hit him and rebounded past the unhappy Fox.

  And Graeme Souness completed the nap hand in the final minute, crashing home the Red's parting shot from Dalglish's pass.

  Stoke, to their credit, made no attempt to repeat the unadven-turous performance that earned jeers in the Cup tie earlier this season, but they were no match for a Liverpool side in this familiar mood.

  Their one consolation was a goal from Paul Bracewell with the Reds already two goals ahead, a simple piece of finishing after Mark Lawrenson collided with goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
 
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