Stoke City extended their record Premier League points total with a remarkable 6-1 humbling of a spineless Liverpool side on the final day of the 2014-15 campaign, as Steven Gerrard's Reds' career ended in disastrous fashion - though he got on the scoresheet in his final game.

In a breathtaking first 45 minutes the Potters pumped five past Liverpool, who had never conceded so many goals in the first-half of a Premier League game before.

Despite a drab start, ten sensational first-half minutes saw Mame Biram Diouf grab a quick brace - placing in from close-range for the first, before smashing in a second from outside the box. It continued to get worse for the visitors, as Jonathan Walters' nodded in from inside the six-yard box before the half-hour. But Stoke were far from done there, Charlie Adam adding a fourth with a low drive into the bottom corner from range, before Steven N'Zonzi got himself onto the score sheet with an excellent curled finish in a miraculous first-half.

Liverpool improved after the break, with Jordon Ibe's introduction giving them more attacking emphasis - but though skipper Gerrard capped his final ever game for the club with a goal in the 69th minute, as the home crowd honourably gave the long-time club and country servant a standing ovation afterwards, it was all too late. The Reds then conceded a sixth with just a few minutes left as substitute and ex-Liverpool striker Peter Crouch put the icing on the cake for Mark Hughes' men, ensuring an excellent end to a terrific season.

Brendan Rodgers' side finished sixth at the end of the afternoon, claiming an automatic place in next season's Europa League, though their humiliating performance at the Britannia Stadium will raise questions over the Northern Irishman's future at the helm - as Hughes in the opposing technical area saw his side finish ninth for the second successive season on a record-breaking 54 points.

The game began fairly slowly, with Stoke slightly edging the early proceedings. After a timid opening few minutes, Charlie Adam looked to try and test Simon Mignolet after finding space in between the lines. Picking up the ball from Steven N'Zonzi's knockdown in the centre of the park, the ex-Liverpool midfielder strode forward and hit an effort goalwards from 25-yards, but the drive flew over Mignolet's crossbar.

With the game finely balanced between the two sides, the visitors slowly began to grow into the game, but struggled up-front without any recognised striker. Steven Gerrard's through ball found auxiliary striker Philippe Coutinho down the right and the Brazilian playmaker looked to cut inside onto his left and bend a shot towards the far corner - but he could only guide his effort over the bar.

The Reds were looking for a win to ensure qualification to the Europa League group stages and avoid starting next season as early as July if they slipped down to seventh and continued to send bodies forward - as Adam Lallana tried to cut back inside in the box and whip a shot past Asmir Begovic and into the far corner, but couldn't quite curl the ball inside the far post.

By contrast, Stoke looked much more decisive going forward and they perhaps deservedly opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, when Marko Arnautovic beat Emre Can all too easily down the left. The Austrian cut back a pass to Adam, who tried to curl a first-time effort past Mignolet. The Belgian goalkeeper could only palm the ball out to Mame Biram Diouf and a few yards out, the striker only had to place into an empty net to give the Potters the lead.

Diouf doubled the lead only three minutes later, in an almost carbon copy build-up of the first. Arnautovic beat Can down the left, cutting a pass inside to Diouf, who was in a pocket of space in front of the defence. Seeing an opportunity to shoot first-time, the 27-year-old unleashed a fierce left-footed shot which rocketed past Mignolet for an emphatic second.

Just five minutes later, Liverpool's defence fell to pieces a third time inside ten minutes. Adam managed to squeeze a cross into the box from down the right, which Can inadvertently headed towards his own goal. The ball then fell kindly for Jonathan Walters, and though Mignolet scrambled to block the Irishman's initial effort, the 31-year-old managed to get his head to the rebound, which bounced over the line.

Shellshocked, Liverpool looked to try and surge forward and reduce the deficit immediately, but were unable to force Begovic into any action. Rodgers' side were left appealing for a penalty, when Geoff Cameron made contact with Lallana inside the box, but referee Anthony Taylor was having none of it and waved away the claims.

But Rodgers' side were left even more frustrated just minutes later, when Lucas Leiva's touch from Mamadou Sakho's pass allowed Adam to nip in and take possession. Driving towards goal, the 29-year-old struck a low drive through Martin Skrtel's legs and into the bottom corner to put his side four goals ahead.

Things continued to get much, much worse for Liverpool - with the Stoke supporters mocking Brendan Rodgers with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning." As the first-half edged to a close, N'Zonzi added salt to the wounds - curling an effort into Mignolet's far top corner from 25-yards in the 44th minute to make it 5-0 before half-time.

Rodgers' face before the break said it all, with Stoke's supporters themselves even surprised by the first-half showing they had just seen. At the interval, the Northern Irishman made a double change - bringing Kolo Toure on for Emre Can and Jordon Ibe for Alberto Moreno, changing to a 3-4-3.

The substitutions admittedly allowed Liverpool to take more control of the game, but they struggled to turn their possession into anything meaningful as Stoke continued to press high up the pitch and pile pressure on the visitors.

Stoke were keen to search for more goals, continuing their high-intensity pressing to choke Liverpool's back-line into mistakes - but they could not extend their lead as they eventually decided to take a breather.

The visitors, desperate to salvage something from the game for their captain, were screaming for a penalty a second time before the hour mark. Running into the box from the left side, Jordon Ibe tried to clip a cross into the six-yard box, though Walters' arm impeded the pass - but Taylor again gave nothing.

The Liverpool supporters were left breathing a sigh of relief just a few minutes later, as the experienced official decided not to give Skrtel his marching orders with what could quite easily have been a second yellow. The Slovakian slid in on N'Zonzi down the left flank, and was fortunate to stay on the pitch after the referee allowed play on - but N'Zonzi's determination to get back to his feet instantly almost certainly aided Skrtel's cause.

Liverpool finally managed their first shot on target in the 63rd minute, when Lallana found himself through on goal - but Begovic was equal to his side-footed shot from inside the box.

On 65 minutes, Stoke almost extended their lead to six on the counter-attack. Winning the ball off Gerrard in their own-half, the home side launched forward in numbers - but after Diouf teed up Arnautovic, the busy winger could only send his effort high into the stands.

Then, all of a sudden, Liverpool pulled one back - through their talismanic skipper on his final showing for the club. With 20 minutes to go, Gerrard capped his 710th, and final, appearance with a goal after racing on to Rickie Lambert's flick-on. The captain, one-on-one with Begovic, placed an effort into the bottom corner to finally give the away supporters something to cheer for, as the home crowd also rose to applaud the 34-year-old after his well-taken finish.

The Reds continued to tried and reduce the deficit, Gerrard attempting to replicate N'Zonzi's first-half finish, but the skipper could only whistle his shot narrowly wide.

But the afternoon got worse for the Reds after they potentially looked to get back in to the game. Diouf was allowed too much room down the left, with Toure turning his back on the striker's cross - and Peter Crouch rose above Sakho and Skrtel to head into the bottom corner for a demoralising sixth.

The full-time whistle brought to end a dismal campaign for Liverpool, and an even worse afternoon - as Brendan Rodgers was left to wonder whether he will be in a job this time next week, whilst Steven Gerrard saw out his Anfield career in unenviable circumstances.

Stoke City (6) Liverpool (1)
Begovic 7 Mignolet 5
Cameron 6 Can 3
Muniesa 6 Skrtel 3
Shawcross 7 Sakho 4
Pieters 6 Moreno 3
Whelan 7 Lucas 3
N'Zonzi 8 Henderson 4
Arnautovic 8 Allen 4
Adam 7 Lallana 4
Walters 7 Gerrard 5
Diouf 8 Coutinho 4
Subsitutes
Odemwingie 6 Toure 5
Wilson 5 Ibe 7
Crouch 6 Lambert 4