Jordan Ibe scored the winner eight minutes before half-time to give Liverpool the lead going into the second leg in three weeks’ time.
After a poor display at the weekend when they were beaten 2-0 at West Ham, Liverpool bounced back with a resilient display.
Injuries to Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren took some of the shine off the win, but manager Juergen Klopp was delighted with the performance and the result.
“It’s a strange feeling,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “I’m proud as it was a perfect reaction from the last game.
“You saw it was a special game. A good game, lively, aggressive. But of course we have two bad injuries and that’s why I’m not only lucky tonight.
“It’s a big shadow over the game for us – the injuries,” he told his press conference soon after. “I don’t know how serious, and we have to wait for this.”
Ibe finished smartly after good work from Adam Lallana and a flick by Joe Allen. Liverpool had the majority of the chances and could have won by a bigger margin.
Marko Arnautovic headed wide and Stoke almost pinched an equalizer in injury time when Jon Walters slid a shot just wide of the post.
Everton host Manchester City in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
Source: GNA
