Liverpool embarrassed as Stoke hit six in Steven Gerrard's final game

Liverpool finished the Premier League season in sixth after conceding five first-half goals to Stoke in an astonishing 6-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

With Raheem Sterling’s contract discussions dominating the build up to the game, questions around Brendan Rodgers’ future will now come into sharper focus after a horror show at the Britannia Stadium.

After a lacklustre opening 20 minutes, which saw more yellow cards than shots on goal, the game burst into life when Mame Biram Diouf gave Stoke the lead with a six-yard rebound after Simon Mignolet palmed Charlie Adam’s shot straight into his path.

Eight minutes later and the home side were three up, with Diouf firing from 20 yards and Jon Walters profiting from a dreadful Emre Can mistake. It was only to get worse for Rodgers as former Liverpool player Adam rifled in a low drive from outside the area to make it four and Steven N’Zonzi curled a 25 yard pearler into the top corner on the stroke of half time.

After a horror show in those opening 45 minutes, Brendan Rodgers responded by bringing on Jordon Ibe and Kolo Toure for Can and Alberto Moreno. Defensively Liverpool looked far more solid, and pulled one back through Steven Gerrard who was sent through on goal after a Rickie Lambert flick on in the 70th minute.

Things were to go from bad to worse though for Liverpool when substitute Peter Crouch headed home a sixth five minutes from time.

22’ - DIOUF GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Liverpool: Emre Can is done on the left hand side by Arnautovic who supplies Adam, whose left-foot shot is low to Mignolet's left, but the Belgian can only palm it straight to Mame Diouf who makes no mistake six yards out.

26’ - DIOUF AGAIN! Stoke 2-0 Liverpool: Liverpool again opened up down their right hand side and Diouf unleashes a venomous right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area, which rockets past Mignolet in the blink of an eye. Two goals in four minutes.

30’ - WALTERS GOAL! Stoke 3-0 Liverpool! Do not adjust your sets. This is shambolic from the away side. Adam's cross hangs onto the far post, Emre Can proceeds to head it back into the six-yard box straight to Jon Walters, who nods the ball beyond Mignolet at the second attempt.

41’ - GOAL! Stoke 4-0 Liverpool: Charlie Adam robs Lucas Leiva of possession on the edge of the Liverpool area and lets rip with a low left-foot strike into the bottom left-hand corner. All too easy for Stoke. This is remarkable.

45’ - N'ZONZI GOAL! Stoke 5-0 Liverpool: Steven N'Zonzi has curled an absolute pearler into the top corner from 25 yards. This is incredible, astonishing.

70’ - GERRARD GOAL! Stoke 5-1 Liverpool: Steven Gerrard has his goal, he's played through by a Rickie Lambert flick on (who's just come on for Allen) and he finishes calmly beyond Begovic.

86’ - CROUCH GOAL! Stoke 6-1 Liverpool: Peter Crouch piles on the misery for Brendan Rodgers. He's afforded a free header from Diouf's left-wing cross and powers it home from six yards. More woeful defending from Liverpool.

Liverpool suffer their biggest ever Premier League defeat.

Stoke scored more in one half against Liverpool (5) in the Premier League than Balotelli, Lambert and Borini have combined (4) all season.

Gerrard scored his 120th Premier League goal - he is the second-highest PL scorer at the club, after Robbie Fowler (128).

Peter Crouch has now scored 47 headed goals in the Premier League, more than any other player.

Liverpool conceded 6+ goals in a league game for the first time since losing 7-2 to Spurs in 1963.

Liverpool finish the season with a goal difference of four. The last time they had a worse total at the end of a top flight campaign was in 1964/65.

How can Brendan Rodgers carry on? The Liverpool manager may feel he’d suffered enough this week after the Raheem Sterling contract issue blew up, but in the wake of the club’s heaviest ever Premier League defeat he is in for a week of fresh scrutiny ahead of an end-of-season review with the club’s owners in Boston. Will he make it out alive? On the evidence of today, it’s unlikely. Liverpool were that bad.

Steven N'Zonzi (Stoke City): The midfielder typified Stoke's approach to the game. Full of hustle and bustle, never let Liverpool sit on the ball and helped himself to a long range first-half screamer.

Stoke City: Begovic 7, Cameron 7, Shawcross 6, Muniesa 6, Pieters 7, Nzonzi 8, Whelan 7, Walters 8, Adam 8, Arnautovic 7, Diouf 8. Subs: Odemwingie 6, Wilson 6, Crouch 7.

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet 4, Can 3, Skrtel 5, Sakho 5, Moreno 5, Lucas 5, Allen 5, Henderson 5, Gerrard 6, Lallana 5, Coutinho 5. Subs: Ibe 7, Toure 6, Lambert 6.