90 min +2: Joselu scoops a ball into the Liverpool box from the right. It spins out of play to the left of Mignolet’s goal, Walters doing his best to retrieve the loose ball but getting nowhere near.

90 min +1: Milner has the chance to shoot, 25 yards out, but dithers and is robbed by Whelan. Stoke have men over on the counter attack, but manage to break down on the halfway line. Lucky Milner.

90 min: Arnautovic tries to release Joselu into the Liverpool area down the left. Toure shepherds the ball out of play, then winces in pain as he feels his hamstring. On the touchline, Jurgen Klopp hangs his head in complete disbelief. Toure will battle on, with three added minutes to play.

89 min: All very scrappy right now. Neither team can get the ball under control. They’re just humping it this way and that. Liverpool are less fussed, for the clock is not Stoke City’s friend. “Not just the Apocalypse, but the greatest Apocalypse ever, ‘cause its going to be Made in America,” insists Marie Meyer. “It’s going to be yuge.”

87 min: Affellay curls into the Liverpool box from deep. Crouch is hovering. Mignolet comes out to fingertip away for a corner. Toure heads the set piece clear, though Stoke are soon coming back at them. Johnson has a dig from distance, but his deflected shot catches three team-mates offside as one of them goes chasing after the ball.

85 min: Clyne sends a wafter into the Stoke box from a deep position on the right. Butland claims a ball that would have gone into the top-right corner, albeit only after an almighty goalkeeping farce. Butland then batters a long kick straight out of play for a Liverpool goal kick. On the touchline, an incensed Mark Hughes frowns so hard his eyebrows nearly snap clean off.

84 min: It’s all Stoke. Liverpool can’t get out. But Stoke can’t get into the Liverpool area. So it’s swings and roundabouts, emotionally.

83 min: Ibe over-elaborates down the Stoke right, allowing Shaqiri to scoot into space down the wing. He earns a corner off Toure, who feels his hamstring upon getting up in the ginger fashion. Shaqiri mishits the corner, and it’s his final act of the evening. The former Liverpool star Crouch replaces him. Plenty of stories to be told here.

81 min: A tense atmosphere at the Britannia. The next ten minutes have the possibility to shape a couple of seasons, and everybody knows it. Two high balls into the Liverpool area. The first is headed clear, sort of, by Toure. The second is claimed by Mignolet, who is shoved to the ground by Walters, just because.

79 min: The popular Benteke comes on for Allen.

78 min: Firmino scores three rugby points.

77 min: ... Joselu shovels high into the stand behind the goal, stretching for a ludicrously deep right-wing delivery by the left-hand post. What a waste by Stoke, with Liverpool characteristically uncertain at set pieces.

76 min: Joselu is found on the left-hand side of the Liverpool D. He takes a touch inside and shoots. Toure’s leg deflects, looping the ball up, down and under the bar. Mignolet has to fingertip over the bar. From the corner ...

74 min: Butland, with the ball at his feet, batters a clearance straight into Firmino. The ball looks like looping back over the keeper’s head and into the net, but not quite. Hearts in mouths for the home support there. “Thanks to Niall Mullen for pointing out the apocalypse/Donald Trump thing (59 mins),” begins John from New England. “I thought I’d only dreamt that this was actually in his manifesto, so I’m grateful to you for confirming it.”

73 min: Stoke are pressing Liverpool back down both wings. The away side are holding firm right now, but aren’t looking totally sure of themselves. And sure enough, Mignolet takes an age to restart the game with a goal kick - always a tell of a team on the ropes - and is booked for his sauce.

70 min: Bojan is replaced by Joselu. Replays of that first penalty shout suggest Stoke have been a wee bit lucky. There wasn’t much contact between Allen and Whelan, but the latter hung a leg out for the former to flop over, daft behaviour in the box.

69 min: A fine end-to-end game now, this. First Lallana whips a shot into the left-hand side netting from close range, then Arnautovic rises above Lucas to head a right-wing cross over the bar.

67 min: Now it’s Clyne who goes down in the Stoke box. Another penalty claim, though this one’s a fair shoulder-to-shoulder challenge with Arnautovic.

65 min: Johnson hoicks Ibe to the ground as they battle for a ball down the Liverpool left. A free kick, and a chance for Liverpool to load the box. The ball breaks to Allen on the edge of the area. He takes a step inside, and goes down with Whelan right on his back. The referee isn’t having it, but you’ve seen penalties given for much less. Clumsy. Allen was looking for it, though, and perhaps went down too easily. Stoke immediately go up the other end, a long ball down the middle nearly releasing Arnautovic into the box. Mignolet gathers. Good luck guessing who’ll score the next goal.

63 min: Ibe and Can hover in the middle of the Stoke half awhile, slowly dribbling this way then that. Eventually the ball’s offloaded to Firminho down the inside-right channel. He feints inside, then sends a low shot whistling inches wide of the right-hand post. Butland probably had that covered, but it’d have been a close-run thing.

61 min: Lucas attempts to ease the pressure on his side with a Beckenbauer style sashay down the middle of the park. It’s all very strange. He very nearly flicks a pass to release Firmino down the inside-left channel, but he’s hustled out of it.

60 min: Arnautovic, making a nuisance of himself down the left, forces a covering Toure to poke out for a corner. Liverpool clear with ease, but it’s Stoke who pick up possession and come again. At the moment, this is a complete role reversal from the first half. Stoke are utterly dominant.

59 min: Firmino is fed by Ibe, cutting in from the left, on the edge of the Stoke box. His no-backlift shot sails miles over the bar. “Benteke has been playing exactly as advertised,” argues Niall Mullen. “A less than mobile big man with an eye for goal. Complaining about his lack of touch or movement is like complaining about the apocalypse if you vote for Donald Trump.”

58 min: Expect a fair bit of added on time at the end of this match. Liverpool take an age at a throw, causing Mark Hughes to jig up and down the touchline in irritation, and the referee to ostentatiously tap his watch. After the restart, Stoke win possession, allowing Arnautovic to cream a delightful pass down the middle. He’s this close from releasing Shaqiri, but Mignolet gets to the ball first and smothers.

56 min: Bojan glides in from the left and very nearly works enough space to shoot from the edge of the box. As he cocks his leg back, Lucas slides across to block. Stoke are suddenly on top of their game, and for the first time this evening, Liverpool look uncomfortable.

54 min: Stoke are suddenly looking a lot more potent. Walters challenges Lucas for a high ball down the middle, causing all sorts of slapstick shenanigans. The ball breaks to Arnautovic out on the right, but his deep cross is easily dealt with by Mignolet. This has got the crowd going, though. And it’ll have got Liverpool thinking all right. Jurgen Klopp rushes to the touchline to stress the importance of concentration.

53 min: Toure nudges Walters in the back as they contest a ball down the Stoke left. A free kick, and a chance for Stoke to load the box. The ball’s hooked in, and Liverpool fail to clear it. It drops to Shawcross on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, but the big man can’t turn and get a snapshot away. Milner comes out to block, and the danger is cleared.

51 min: Johnson has been the Stoke danger man. More space for him down the right, and once again he whips a fine cross into the area. Toure steps in ahead of Walters to batter a header clear. If Stoke are to get back into this game, this looks to be their most promising gambit.

49 min: Once again, Stoke are finding it difficult to string more than a couple of passes together. Liverpool are pressing them hard. A simple ball goes flying into touch, and Mark Hughes wears a look of supreme disgust.

47 min: A clever Ibe dummy allows Firmino to scamper into the Stoke box down the left. Firmino’s got three men in the middle to find, but can only clatter his cross into Johnson, who was first on the scene for Stoke. Fine defending, but that’s so ponderous from the Brazilian international.

46 min: Can drops a shoulder, nudges the ball to the right, and attempts to arrow one into the top corner from the best part of 30 yards. Nope! “As unpalatable as it may be, it does seem that Liverpool are a superior side without their £32.5m summer acquisition”,” opines Paul Devlin. “Benteke may be tall, but tonight Firmino and Lallana have provided a lesson in how to contest aerial balls (they’ve both won a couple, more than Benteke managed in his last two outings). And how to pass to a team mate. And show interest and effort. It is hard to see how Benteke could force his way into the first eleven now, never mind when Sturridge, Origi and Ings become available.” He’s got one or two fans to win over, that is for sure.

Tonight’s half-time entertainment comes courtesy of our resident comic JR in Illinois. “Although Stoke have transformed their team from recent years, perhaps they failed to consider that in doing so they have stocked their team with players who can’t do it on a rainy Tuesday night at Stoke.” He’s here all week, try the sweetcorn.

45 min +3: Shaqiri cuts in from the right and sends a shot goalwards. It’s deflected on a large comical arc, out on the left. Corner. From which the ball drops to Johnson, on the edge of the area. Stoke’s best player tonight creams a shot goalwards. It’s a proper belter, and Mignolet does very well to parry, the ball having travelled through a thicket of players.

45 min +2: A common-or-garden free kick conceded by Firmino deep in Stoke territory elicits ironic cheers from the Stoke faithful. It’s the loudest noise of the night, and that possibly includes the goal.

45 min +1: Allen slides in on Cameron as the Stoke man dribbles down the right, near the Liverpool box. It should be a free kick, but the referee allows Shaqiri to pick up the loose ball, drop a shoulder to the left, and attempt a Power Curler into the top left. It’s miles over the bar. Mark Hughes, livid, clearly wanted the free kick.

45 min: There will be three added rain-lashed minutes of this first half.

44 min: Afellay has another pop from distance. This one balloons off Toure and miles into the sky. Mignolet catches it in his arms. Stoke haven’t troubled the Liverpool keeper yet.

43 min: It’s tipping down at the Britannia. On the touchline, poor Mark Hughes, delivering some more bollockings, is saturated. His suit is soaked right through, and I bet it’s worth a few quid. Also, he’ll catch his death of cold! The headline writers who made Steve McClaren’s life a misery all those years ago have a lot to answer for.

41 min: This is non-stop entertainment, though Liverpool fans may be enjoying it more than Stoke’s right now. Lallana again dances down the right, making space out of nothing then shovelling a cross to the far post for Ibe, who tries to curl a shot back across Butland and into the bottom right. Nope!

39 min: Stoke should be level. Liverpool should be 0-2 up. Whelan fluffs a backheader, allowing Firmino to tear clear down the inside-right channel. He must score, with only Butland to beat. But he lets the ball clank under his boots, and Shawcross comes across to bustle the ball out for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece.

38 min: Stoke should be level. Johnson whips a gorgeous ball into the Liverpool box from the right. Arnautovic wafts a weak header wide left from six yards.

36 min: Pieters gets a little bit of space down the left. He swings a high cross into the box, but it’s plucked from the sky by Mignolet with a yawn.

35 min: It may well be that Liverpool’s best form of defence will be attack. This could become very interesting.

34 min: Lovren looks to have overstretched himself in a sliding tackle to deny Shaqiri some space down the right. He holds his hamstring. Not another?! Are these lads bothering to warm up? This is a total farce. The physio tries to manipulate Lovren’s muscle back to health, but it’s no good. He limps off, and will be replaced by Milner. It looks as though Lucas will drop back into the centre of defence.

31 min: The former Liverpool player Johnson has been one of Stoke’s few leading lights tonight. He sends a glorious deep cross into the Liverpool area from the right, and Arnautovic should connect at the far post, 12 yards out. But he doesn’t, and Liverpool escape.

30 min: Now it’s Stoke’s turn to ping it around prettily. It’s all in the middle of the park, and they go nowhere, but it’s some welcome relief. Small acorns, and all that.

28 min: Liverpool triangulate in a very pretty style down the inside-right channel, Ibe to Can to Clyne to Firmino and around again. Eventually Clyne chips a cross in. Lallana heads on. It falls to Ibe, who can’t quite dig it out for a proper lash at goal from 12 yards. He shoots, but lamely, and straight at Butland, who gathers calmly. On the touchline, Klopp now has a face of thunder, knowing full well that his side need to translate all this possession into something meaningful.

25 min: Afellay sends Bojan into the Liverpool area down the right. He earns a corner. The set piece, a training-ground affair, is whistled low to the penalty spot. With the six-yard box packed, Bojan is in space. He should at least work Mignolet, but instead somehow manages to kick the ball up into his own chest. Stoke recycle the ball, allowing Johnson to score three rugby points from distance. But this is better from the hosts, who have been very, very quiet in attack up until now.

24 min: A bit of space for Firmino just inside the Stoke box on the right. He attempts to make a little more, but his snapshot is blocked. Liverpool come again, through Ibe down the left. Ibe takes an ambitious swipe from 25 yards, looking for the top right but sending the ball sailing harmlessly into the stand.

21 min: Wollscheid finds Johnson down the right with a delightful crossfield looper. Johnson breaks into the area past Moreno, a run that looks dangerous until Toure comes over to blast out of play. Stoke have been on the back foot for the most part, but have looked dangerous a couple of times down their right flank.

20 min: Ibe is immediately in the action, setting off down the left after a fine Lallana pass. But he’s not up to speed yet, and can neither break into the box nor find a man with a pass.

18 min: Liverpool have been very impressive, but this might change everything. Coutinho, who in the last phase of play attempted to chip a cross into the Stoke box from the left, chasing after a clever Can flick, pulls his hamstring. He knows immediately, sitting down and shaking his head at the bench, a pained expression on his face. Ibe comes on in his limping stead.

16 min: The busy Firminho earns a corner for Liverpool down the left. From the set piece, Butland goes walkabout, and Firmino attempts to Zidane a volley from the penalty spot. That’s blocked, and Stoke clear.

15 min: Stoke are pressing upfield, but then are caught light at the back when Allen creams a pass down the left to release Coutinho into space. Coutinho drops a shoulder to break into the middle, but he’s stopped on the edge of the area by a wonderful challenge by Shawcross. The defender had to get that one right. And this is turning into a marvellous game, as Stoke go back up the other end, Afellay chancing his arm from 30 yards. It’s blocked pretty much at source.

13 min: A first chink of light in attack for Stoke. Johnson briefly threatens to break into the Liverpool box down the right, but gets the ball caught between his legs with Arnautovic waiting in the centre. Liverpool break up the other end, Coutinho and Firmino combining nicely down the left, the latter nearly busting into the area. But he’s swarmed by Shawcross, Johnson and Wollscheid, and the danger’s over.

11 min: Coutinho cuts in from the left, exchanges passes with a back-heelin’ Firmino, and attempts to slide Lallana clear down the right with a diagonal pass. The pass is too strong, and Lallana is rocking back on his heels. But the move was slinky enough for Klopp to make for the touchline and applaud. Liverpool deserve it for their play so far.

10 min: Stoke get the chance to knock the ball around the back again. It’s all they can do to take the pace out of the game. The Britannia is pretty quiet now as a result. In that sense, Liverpool have completed their first task.

8 min: Lallana, fed by Firmino 30 yards out in a central position, sends a low, curling screamer towards the bottom right. It might be going wide, but Butland can’t take any chances, and palms the ball out, a fine full-length save from a very good keeper indeed. Clyne tries to keep the move going by making for the parried ball, but can’t manage it.

6 min: This is all Liverpool right now. Stoke can hardly get a touch, and are having difficulty getting out of their own half. The crowd are still giving it plenty, but manager Mark Hughes is concerned enough to walk up to the touchline and deliver several meaningful bollockings to his team. Stoke haven’t got going yet at all.

4 min: Coutinho dribbles down the inside-left channel and should shoot on goal, but tries to pull a low ball inside for Firmino instead. Bad choice, and Stoke clear. But not very well, and Lucas slips Firmino into the Stoke box down the left. Firmino wins another corner, which is met on the edge of the box by Allen. The wee man tries to replicate Steve Nicol’s famous long-range header against Arsenal in 1987, but it’s straight at Butland. A whirlwind opening from the visitors.

2 min: That first shot was on 30 seconds. On 1min 30sec, Moreno scoops a cross into the Stoke box from the left, and it’s hacked over the bar by Shawcross. From the corner, flicked long, Lallana latches onto the ball by the left-hand post. He tries to hook the ball inside, but settles for another corner. That second set piece comes to nothing. But this is a quick start by Liverpool.

The teams are out and about. Stoke City are in their famous red-and-white stripes, while Liverpool wear second-choice black. It’s the same colour combination that saw Liverpool win 6-1 at Southampton in the last round. Stoke will point out that it’s also the same colour combination that saw Liverpool skelped 6-1 here at the end of last season. Oh it promises to be a cracker in the Potteries all right!

Mark Hughes speaks! “We’re having a decent season. We’ve had games when we’ve been excellent, games where we’ve been disappointing, but our consistency encourages us. We’re hoping to play in semis every season. Liverpool are a good side but we’ve played top sides recently and done well, so we hope we can do it again. The onus is on us, we need to tap into the energy from the crowd and get on the front foot. We want to be in good shape going to Anfield. We’ll be in a decent position if we play well tonight.”

Jurgen Klopp speaks! “I want my team to play better in each part of the game. More intensity: we cannot say we didn’t fight at West Ham but we had two big moments when we lost complete control of the game. I’m really satisfied with my line-up tonight, it’s a good team. I didn’t put Christian Benteke on the bench: I put Adam Lallana back in the team, and when I counted the players I had 11.”

More on Stoke City’s 1972 cup winners, courtesy of Alec McAulay. “Quite a few of the 1972 team have been prominent in the local press and regional TV, but not, sadly, the winning captain Peter Dobing. He’s still living locally, but shuns the club because the manager of the time, Tony Waddington, knocked back an approach for his services from Matt Busby, and never even told Peter that Manchester United wanted him. He only found out years later. Forty years on he still stays away; you have to give him full credit for bearing, nurturing, a proper grudge.”

The first League Cup MBM email of 2016. “Hi Scott, Happy New Year!” And to you, Peter Oh. “I agree that recent form favours Stoke but for all of their high-flying attacking flair, their goal difference in league play is precisely zero. Hardly superior to Liverpool’s negative two, which is not my point. My point is simply that I cling to the hope that Charlie Adam and Glen Johnson don’t do an Andy Carroll in the Liverpool Alumni Club goalscoring tour.” Don’t forget Crouchigol, Peter. That’s a potential 3-0 victory for Karma at least.

That was a marvellous goal of Carroll’s at the weekend, though. And nice to see him cavorting about with a smile on his face afterwards too. No disingenuous, self-regarding non-celebration for the big man. And I doubt his glee will affect his standing either way with Liverpool fans, who as far as I can tell remember him fondly and continue to do so, despite things not working out for him at Anfield. Hopefully more players will take note, and celebrate against their old clubs with a reckless passion. Nobody minds. Good old Big Man, keeping everybody honest.

It’s as you were at the weekend for Stoke. They’re able to name midfielder Geoff Cameron despite his sending off against West Bromwich Albion. His retaliatory shove on Claudio Yacob has been retrospectively graded as Sweet Eff All by the FA, and his three-match ban has been lifted accordingly.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp meanwhile has lost patience with trundling striker Christian Benteke. But is this news? We knew that from the laconic low seethe Klopp emitted after whatever that was at West Ham at the weekend. Adam Lallana is restored to the starting XI, along with Kolo Toure, Joe Allen and Joe Allen’s dashing Beard o’Pirlo. Jordan Ibe drops to the bench, while Mamadou Sakho doesn’t feature at all.