Liverpool comfortably win endof-season friendly
Liverpool rounded off their 2016/17 campaign with victory in an end-of-season friendly against Sydney FC in Australia.
Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno and Roberto Firmino scored the first-half goals that proved enough to
secure a comfortable 3-0 win in front of 72,892 at the ANZ Stadium.
The attention of many of those in attendance was on retired pair Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, starting a game together for the first time since 2013.
Gerrard and Carragher were warmly received by the New South Wales crowd and each lasted 45 minutes before being replaced by two other former players, Steve McManaman and Daniel Agger.
Such was Liverpool’s dominance, Jürgen Klopp could have afforded to have all four veterans on field at the same time, as Sydney showed little ambition to stage an upset.
Sturridge set the tone for the evening by opening the scoring after just eight minutes. The England international, who may miss his country’s forthcoming fixtures against Scotland and France with an ongoing hip problem, showed a turn of speed past Sydney’s Alex Wilkinson before applying an angled finish past ‘keeper Danny Vukovic.
Liverpool’s lead was doubled shortly after by Moreno, but it was Firmino’s delightful lobbed pass which allowed the full-back to dart in behind the hosts’ backline and score.
The Brazilian added Liverpool’s third seven minutes from the interval, deflecting the ball over the line after Sturridge had found space to cross from the right flank.
After the final whistle, Klopp revealed that he is looking to do the club’s impending summer transfer business early.
“I wish we can bring in the players tomorrow but of course that isn't really likely. The best scenario is always to have them in before pre-season," he told reporters.
However, Klopp poured cold water on the suggestion that he may look to add numbers in defensive midfield, despite a perceived weakness in the position and the likely departure of Lucas Leiva.
Klopp said: “Second balls after set-pieces, another defensive midfielder would not really be around this situation so it does not help a lot.
“Half-spaces when counter-pressing does not work, it's all about organisation. We did already much better in the last few games and we improved around set-pieces a lot.”