Adam Lallana reveals that a heated half-time team talk inspired Liverpool to victory over Stoke City in the Capital One Cup semi-finals.

Liverpool claimed their place in the final of the League Cup with a hard-fought win over the Potters on Tuesday night, following a successful penalty shootout, but the Reds were in danger of being knocked out as they were trailing 1-0 at the first break through a Marko Arnautovic strike.

Liverpool's first-half performance on the night was very poor and midfielder Lallana has gone on to reveal that a controlled yet passionate time team talk between the manager and the players sparked a turnaround for the Reds in the second period.

When asked if it was similar to Manchester United's heated exchange against the Reds recently, the England international said: "It wasn't over the top like that. We could hear it kicking off from our dressing room that day.

"It wasn't that, ours was more structured, but we knew we weren't good enough in the first half.

"We were poor and there were a few strong words at half-time, not just from the manager but from ourselves. We knew it. We said we need to be a bit more composed on the ball and wanting the ball when we play it out from the back rather than hitting it long a few too many times in the first half.

"It got better as it went on. It wasn't the prettiest of games but it is all about winning and going through. We are at Wembley now and have a chance to win a trophy, which is brilliant."