The Reds dominated proceedings throughout, with a staggering 75 per cent of the possession, but failed to capitalise on their unrelenting pressure.
Skipper Steven Gerrard found the net on two minutes via a free-kick from outside the box. The celebrations for both the captain and crowd were cut short when referee Andre Marriner disallowed it for offside.
Robbie Keane's frustration continued as he still awaits his first goal in a Liverpool shirt. He came close to opening his account on eight minutes when a shot from eight yards out was saved by City keeper Thomas Sorensen.
The visitors barely threatened in the first 45 minutes, spending most of the time in their own half.
Ventures into the Liverpool half for the Potters came in the form of hopeful long balls, which, for the best part were fruitless. They came closest with a long-range effort from Dave Kitson after five minutes which sailed just over Jose Reina's goal.
Xabi Alonso very nearly opened the scoring for the Merseysiders just before the half hour mark when his blistering shot from the edge of the box was tipped around the visitors' post by Sorensen.
Liverpool started the second half in the same vain that they opened the match, forcing three corners within three minutes.
Keane replicated his first-half chance, finding himself in a almost identical position but again only managed to direct the ball into the clutches of the keeper.
Spanish right-back Alvaro Arbeloa ventured forward on 53 minutes and found himself with the time and space to pick out his fellow countryman Fernando Torres, but the forward headed just wide.
Minutes later neat work from Keane allowed Dirk Kuyt to find Torres whose shot deflected over the bar for a corner.
It was Kuyt who looked most lively at this stage of the match, forcing Sorensen into a low save and a just after curling a shot just wide.
Gerrard clearly fancied his chances from set-pieces and attempted a retake of his disallowed first half goal. The ball sailed just wide of the post.
Keane was replaced by Yossi Benayoun on with just over 15 minutes to go as Rafa Benitez looked to explore new attacking options.
The home side were finding the afternoon increasingly frustrating as the match entered its final stages. Gerrard tried several long-range efforts but to no avail.
Danish keeper Sorensen incensed The Kop on more than one occasion by taking his time on goal-kicks. A sign that Stoke and their vociferous army of fans in the away section, were starting to sense a positive result.
The Merseysiders kept up their drive right to the end with Alonso, Torres and Gerrard all trying their luck.
But Stoke still coped with a fine defensive display, particularly from centre-back Abdoulaye Faye and the ever-safe Sorensen between the sticks.
Four of Liverpool's five league goals so far in this campaign have come in the final ten minutes of matches. But this was to prove one step too far Benitez's men.