Injured Fernando Torres to join up with Spain squad
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First goal was crucial - Hodgson
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will join up with the Spain squad, despite picking up an ankle injury in the Anfield club's 2-0 loss at Stoke.
The 26-year-old suffered ligament damage but played the whole game.
"Torres will have the injury further assessed by the Spanish medical staff ahead of the friendly in Lisbon on Wednesday," said a Liverpool statement.
After the defeat, Reds boss Roy Hodgson said: "We have got a week [before our next game] and hopefully it's okay."
Liverpool were chasing the game after Ricardo Fuller's opener when Torres took a kick, and they conceded another late on when Kenwyne Jones slotted in.
Hodgson said: "We missed Fernando Torres in the second half, he took a kick to the ankle and twisted it.
It was the first time for 26 years that Stoke had beaten Liverpool in the league and Hodgson felt his side failed to cope with their opponent's physicality and direct brand of football.
"It's the usual problem you have when you come here - dealing with the long throws, long balls forward into the box, the corner kicks and the strength and height and power of the Stoke team," he said.
"I thought we did very well for 55 minutes but once when conceded the goal, their tails were up and we had to take risks - so much so that we conceded a second goal when I'd pushed a centre-back to play as a centre-forward.
"You have to say it was a triumph for Stoke's way of playing and they got their rewards for it.
"Stoke are a very difficult team to beat here. Today they were particularly energetic and aggressive with their pressurising - they pressed us into making errors and didn't give us any time on the ball but that is what you would expect.
"You've got to be playing in very good form to get the ball down in those situations and I thought we didn't have the targets up front that we should have, especially after Fernando's injury in the second half.
"Fernando didn't want to come off and I didn't want to take him off but he was not firing on all cylinders.
"We offered him the chance to come off but he wasn't interested in that. I don't think it was too serious, if it had have been I don't think he would have carried on. But it was a nasty knock which he took on his ankle."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis, whose side moved out of the bottom three and up to 10th - a place above Liverpool on goal difference - felt his tactics were spot-on.
Pulis delighted with 'smashing' win
"The important thing was to push up on Liverpool and stop them getting a rhythm in their passing and we really closed them down from the front," he said.
"I am very pleased with everyone in my team. In a three-game week when you have to play a top side at the end of that week it is always very difficult.
"I thought Kenwyne and Ricardo were very, very good today. And I was also pleased that we kept a clean sheet - we need to do that.
"We played really well. They had a spell of about 15 minutes but apart from that I thought we were well on top of it.
"We showed loads of passion, commitment and energy and they deserved their victory."
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