Lewis Koumas makes starting claim – as Giorgi Marmadashvili recovers from thrashing

February 3, 2025
Sam Millne

Lewis Koumas was dropped to the bench but still had a say in Stoke’s comeback win, while two Liverpool loanees faced off in the Scottish Premiership.

Liverpool youngster Koumas has already had five managers this season, temporary or permanent, and that doesn’t even include Arne Slot.

The latest Stoke boss, Mark Robins, got his first win at the weekend, but that came as Koumas started on the bench for their 2-1 win over Hull.

Koumas had started the previous five matches under Robins, but the new manager chose to start January loan signings Ali Al-Hamadi from Ipswich up front and Josh Wilson-Esbrand, from Man City, on the left.

This meant Bae Jun-ho started on the right as Koumas dropped to the bench.

Liverpool’s 19-year-old still managed to make a big difference, though, coming on for half an hour and setting up Stoke’s winner by driving the ball low into the box, where fellow substitute Andrew Moran finished cleverly.

Koumas nearly then extended Stoke’s lead, as he collected on the left and dribbled into the box before shooting across goal on his left foot.

Ivor Pandur was equal to the effort in Hull’s goal, but this mattered not in the end as Stoke held on to win 2-1.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Owen Beck played 90 minutes as he also won 2-1, for Blackburn against Preston on Friday night.

Dan Barnes of the Lancashire Telegraph rated the left-back’s performance at seven out of 10 and wrote: “General performance deserved a top rating but probably should have scored in the first half and could have done more to prevent the late goal.”

In another all-Lancashire matchup, this time in the fourth division, Morecambe hosted and beat Fleetwood 4-2.

Rhys Williams wasn’t involved for the winners, however, due to an injury from which he hasn’t quite recovered.

North of the border, Calvin Ramsay‘s Kilmarnock and Luca Stephenson‘s Dundee United clashed, with the former’s team running out 1-0 home winners at Rugby Park.

It was Stephenson, though, who was more influential on the day as he started in a new position for him, attacking midfield.

Known as a full-back by trade, Stephenson is a versatile 20-year-old who has actually spent more time playing in midfield for Dundee United this season.

He even started as their No. 10 on Saturday, but was brought off with 20 minutes to go as Jim Goodwin’s side pushed for an equaliser that never came.

This meant Stephenson wasn’t actually on the pitch at the same time as Ramsay, who came on in injury time to help see out the win.

The result leaves Kilmarnock sitting ninth from 12 teams in the Scottish Premiership, nine points behind third-place Dundee United.

Over in Spain, goalkeeper Giorgi Marmadashvili played again as Valencia steadied the ship with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo after last weekend’s humiliating 7-1 defeat to Barcelona.