SPORTSMAIL COLUMNIST, SKY PUNDIT . . . DEFINITELY AN EX- PLAYER!

FOR a moment, it was just like old times. At the heart of the defence, a distinctive figure was barking out orders while in midfield the club hero pulled the strings. Liverpool’s whistle-stop trip Down Under afforded club legends Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard the chance to line up alongside each other for the first time since May 5, 2013 and presented a one-off opportunity to work under Jurgen Klopp. This, though, was a world away from the Premier League, and the exhibition friendly against Australian title winners Sydney FC was far removed from some of the great triumphs Carragher and Gerrard shared in the past. It is four years since Carragher retired and there were moments during the game when the

Sportsmail columnist and Sky Sports pundit, to be diplomatic, huffed and puffed more than the Big Bad Wolf from the Three Little Pigs fairy tale! Still, he got through the first half without issue, knocking the ball about adroitly and making one big tackle. He even got the luxury of being tactically substituted in the 46th minute, enabling him to receive a standing ovation from a 72,892 crowd before Klopp wrapped him in a bear hug. The same was true for Gerrard, who came off at the same time. He loved every moment he was on the pitch and posted a picture of his embrace with Klopp on Instagram, with one simple word saying ‘unreal’. Gerrard did not, however, get the moment he and the crowd wanted. He wasted a glorious chance to score in the third minute and was then denied a penalty after being bundled over in the area by Sydney defender Rhyan Grant. Liverpool won 3-0, but Klopp was so incensed by the decision that he pursued referee Peter Green down the tunnel at halftime. And once again, it was just like old times.