The hosts didn't take long to get in front as, after an earlier scare in the 3rd minute, Gerrard hit a bobbling ball into the path of Torres. The Spanish striker swivelled and struck the ball through the legs of the despairing Wilkinson and into the back of the net.
The Potters hit back and, after a Rory Delap rocket throw in had only been half cleared to Whelan, 30 yards out, the Irishman put his foot through the ball but a brave block by Carragher deflected the shot over the bar.
The midfield was being contested in a very combative manner from both sides and Whitehead was first in the book after onyl 12 minutes when he slid in on Mascherano, catching the Argentinian after the ball had gone.
Stoke were being gifted countless free kicks in and around the area and Liam Lawrence looked on enviously from the bench, knowing full well he would be licking his lips at the set pieces the visitors had. One of these free kicks, in the 21st minute, saw the ball passed around the three men standing on the free kick before being rolled to Beattie. The hitman then flicked the ball up and towards the run of Shawcross, only for it to be cut out and deny the defender the chance to grab his second of the season.
Insua and Johnson were bombing forward at every opportunity and it was the former who next tested Sorenson as he flew down the wing before slamming the ball towards goal from an acute angle. The ball was sneaking inside the near post but City's Danish stopper was there to calmly catch the ball and divert the danger.
Liverpool were still looking shaky when balls were swung into the box and Reina took three attempts to claim a Delap throw in in the 28th minute.
On the half hour another Delap missile was flicked on by Beattie to the back post. Criminally nobody had taken up a position at the back post and so the ball flashed past the danger area and out for a goal kick.
Liverpool were still very much part of the game as an attacking threat and Johnson fizzed a shot inches wide from 15 yards barely sixty seconds after Beatties flick came to nothing.
Moments before half time Kuyt rolled a weak effort in from 20 yards and Torres twisted and turned in the box but having failed to get enough space, away from Ryan Shawcross, to get a clear shot in his effort was blocked out by the giant defender. The resulting corner was swung in and after Kuyt's effort was blocked the ball sprung up to Johnson. The full back realigned his body magnificently to scissor kick the ball into the net from inside the 6-yard box and double the lead.
The Potters flew out from the restart and Delap launched another missile which was headed behind for a corner. The delivery was good as corner after corner was headed behind for another before the chance came. A flatter delivery saw the ball flicked to the edge of the box. Delap, running in, caught the ball sweetly and thundered it towards the bottom corner of the net but was denied when Reina, somehow, managed to spring to his left and push the ball away.
Tony Pulis' side weren't giving up though and Beattie cross narrowly evaded Delap at the near post before the athletic Johnson diverted the ball behidn with Cresswell ready to put the ball away behind the England international.
Any thoughts Stoke had of being fully on top were pushed aside when Sorenson spilled Gerrards 25 yarder and Kuyt, with the goal at his mercy, only managed to scoop the ball up into the air and City's Danish stopper was able to climb to his feet and claim the dropping ball.
Both sides sole strikers exchanged efforts as Reina had to backpeddle to pluck Beatties 50 yard effort from the air before Torres snapshot was well held by Sorenson, dropping to his right.
Johnson was a constant thorn in the Potters side and when Cresswell was nowhere to be seen he bombed forward, ghosted past Higginbotham before forcing Sorenson to dive to his left and tip his powerful effort round the post.
The 62nd minute saw the double substitution of Lawrence and Fuller for Cresswell and Beattie. The third sub was taken with twenty one minutes left with Pugh replacing Whitehead.
Shawcross, with the eyes of the world on him at present, nearly out through his own net when a cross flicked off his head and just ran out of steam as it hovered above the bar, forcing Sorenson to arch his back and push the ball over his crossbar with his fingertips.
The tempo dropped as Liverpool passed the ball around with ease before a superb team effort in the 78th minute completely killed off the Potters. After numerous passes and patient build up, pulling the Potters players all over their own half, Gerrard superbly spun Etherington as he received a chipped pass and rolled the ball into the 'corridoor of uncertainty' in the 6-yard box. Kuyt, under pressure from Shawcross, was steaming in and made sure this time as the ball came off something on him and rolled into the net.
There was one more effort, and it produced the fourth goal as Johnson's cross forced Sorenson into desperate action that left him in his own net, but he could only watch as the ball dropped to Ngog who tapped it in to finish the scoring and the game.