Pre-Season: Reds Run Over Rovers 0-2

Sports - Football - Pre-Season - BRFC 0-2 LFC

Liverpool ended comfortable 2-0 winners against Blackburn Rovers on Thursday night at Ewood Park thanks to second-half goals from Lazar Markovic and Daniel Sturridge.

As in the other three pre-season friendlies, Jürgen Klopp fielded a different team each half, giving youngsters some play time as well as coupling experienced players with newbies, as the World Cup stars are not joining the side in training till end of the week.

And the match kicked off in glorious sunshine, Dominic Solanke being awarded a penalty after just five minutes when challenged by keeper David Raya Martin trying to reach Ben Woodburn’s pass.

But the Rovers keeper made up for his error pushing away James Milner’s spot kick and keeping the scoreline at 0-0.

The Reds did have the ball in the net with just under half an hour gone, Divock Origi tapping in Alberto Moreno’s cross after Adam Lallana’s blocked shot, but the flag was up.

Loris Karius denied the newly promoted Championship side by blocking a nice drill by Dominic Samuel, a little confidence booster after the German keeper’s Champions League nightmare.

Lallana hit the woodwork before seeing Charlie Mulgrew clear his goal-bound shot off the line seconds later, two chances, zero goals, the two teams went into the break deadlocked, 0-0.

Ten changes were made after the interval for the Premier League team - keeper Karius the only survivor, the Reds continued dominating play and chances.

The game was refreshed, boosted, especially long awaited Naby Keita impressing with his play and interplay for Klopp’s men, setting up Sturridge, creating chance after chance.

The latter collected the ball and spotted Markovic’s fine run, who netted the number 15's accurate pass with a fine touch and effort to make it 0-1 to the visitors after 64 minutes, not long after the home side had made nine changes.

Red academy midfielder Rafael Camacho’s chance beat sub keeper Jayson Leutwiler but was cleared off the line by Paul Downing minutes later.

With just over quarter of an hour to go, Keita’s force was felt again and his run and pass was finished off by Sturridge this time, making up for earlier misses and doubling the Reds’ lead.

Leutwiler denied Camacho before the full-time whistle, ending a nice dominant run out for the Reds before they head off on to their US Tour where they will face Klopp's former side Dortmund (22/07), champions Manchester City (26/07) and bitter rivals Manchester United (28/07).

And it was all topped up not long after the match with the official announcement of Alisson Becker having completed his medical and joining from AS Roma to replace under-fire Karius and out-of-favour Simon Mignolet after a long media-frenzy and speculation, breaking the transfer world record for a keeper.

All in all the Reds can be happy with their progress, in the pre-season matches, the transfer market, general dealings and wheelings, and team spirit, general optimism felt all round, despite the bad news of the week of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain confirmed to be missing most of the season through injury.

Liverpool Goals: Markovic 63’ & Sturridge 73’.

Match Stats: BRFC 0-2 LFC

Possession: 30.3%-69.7%

Shots: 4-16

On target: 2-6

Corners: 1-3

Offsides: 2-1

Fouls: 13-7

Blackburn Team: 1 Raya; 3 Williams, 14 Mulgrew* (c) (45’), 26 Lenihan, 2 Nyambe; 8 Rothwell, 31 Bennett, 6 Smallwood, 29 Evans* (45’), 9 Samuel; 23 Dack. 4-5-1

2nd half substitutes 60’: 25 Downing, 18 Davenport, 11 Whittingham, 13 Leutwiler, 17 Bell* (45’), 28 Tomlinson, 32 Conway, 34 Wharton, 27 Travis* (45’), 37 Fisher, 24 Nuttall.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius* (59’); 18 Moreno, 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 2 Clyne; 20 Lallana, 7 Milner (c), 58 Woodburn; 29 Solanke, 27 Origi, 54 Ojo. 4-3-3

2nd half substitutes 45’: 3 Fabinho, 4 Van Dijk, 8 Keita, 12 Gomez, 15 Sturridge, 26 Robertson, 47 Phillips, 48 Jones, 50 Markovic, 64 Camacho, 62 Kelleher* (59’).

Referee: Jonathan Moss

Ground: Ewood Park

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the LFCTV matchday coverage and Sky Sports App and website.

Goodison Park Enjoys Goalless Derby

Sports - Football - Premier League - EVE 0:0 LIV

Liverpool have taken their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions against Everton - W8 D9 - their longest ever run without defeat against their Merseyside rivals after a goalless draw at Goodison Park in the lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.

Click here for my full ByTheMinute match coverage.

Jürgen Klopp made five changes for the Reds with their eyes on the Champions League second-leg clash against Manchester City next week.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were the most notable absentees, the prior due to injury, the latter dropped onto the bench.

Big Sam made just one change for the Toffees from the side that lost 3-1 to Manchester City last weekend, Tom Davies replacing Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The visitors dominated throughout, hardly giving the home side any time on the ball, but pace was noticeably missing on both sides.

Toffee keeper Jordan Pickford denied Dominic Solanke point blank after just over quarter of an hour gone.

On the other side of the pitch, Loris Karius punched Yannick Bolasie's magnificent curl full-stretch out for a corner halfway through the first half.

After half an hour, man of the match James Milner took a chance from the left, what a take and stop it was, Pickford with another strong save.

As much as Liverpool had the ball, it got more and more frustrating watching kick-about after kick-about, nothing coming from it.

Sadio Mané put a chance high from outside the box just before the break and Virgil van Dijk missed a couple of chances as well,

Bolasie, skipper Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman were all guilty of being reckless with their tackling and wasting the rare chances the Toffees got, but the referee kept the book in his pocket.

Wayne Rooney wasn't happy coming off with just under an hour gone, Idrissa Gueye replacing him, but the home side actually improved afterwards and got more into the game.

Coleman and Danny Ings clashed, but referee Michael Oliver just had a word with both captains Jagielka and Jordan Henderson respectively, no cards, no nothing.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Milner with just over 20 minutes to go and tried to replicate his Wednesday Champions League cracker from outside the box, but it wasn't quite the same, going out high for a goal kick.

Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott and substitute Calvert-Lewin wasted chances from close range late on, Liverpool's defensive changes going for the draw.

It ended goalless, Everton finishing on a high after Liverpool rode the show - plenty of chances missed, wasted and went begging, frustrating to watch.

The second half saw no shots on target by either side and it was only the second Merseyside derby in PL history without a single booking, first since their opening clash in December 1992.

The home side will definitely have been happier with the point, the visitors' heads lost in Europe.

Two points dropped for the Reds, keeping them in third, one point behind the Red Devils in second before their evening kick-off against local rivals City.

HT Stats: EVE 0-0 LIV
Possession: 34%-66%
Shots: 3-7
On target: 1-3
Corners: 2-2
Fouls: 7-2

FT Stats: EVE 0-0 LIV
Possession: 38%-62%
Shots: 6-10
On target: 1-3
Corners: 3-2
Fouls: 12-7

Everton Team: 1 Pickford; 3 Baines, 4 Keane, 6 Jagielka (c), 23 Coleman; 2 Schneiderlin, 10 Rooney (17 Gueye 57'); 7 Bolasie (29 Calvert-Lewin 61'), 26 Davies (54 Baningme 79'), 11 Walcott; 14 Tosun. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 15 Martina, 19 Niasse, 25 Funes Mori, 33 Joel.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 17 Klavan, 4 van Dijk, 6 Lovren, 2 Clyne; 6 Milner (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 68'), 14 Henderson (c), 5 Wijnaldum; 19 Mané (9 Firmino 74'), 29 Solanke, 28 Ings (66 Alexander-Arnold 89'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 22 Mignolet, 63 Masterson, 48 Jones, 64 Camacho.

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: James Milner
Ground: Goodison Park
Attendance: 39,220

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Sky Sports app, Twitter and SFR coverage.

Liverpool Crush Sorry Swans 5-0

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 5:0 SCFC

Liverpool thrashed managerless bottom side Swansea 5-0 at Anfield in the late kick-off on Boxing Day, a dominant home victory that consolidated their place in the top four.

Philippe Coutinho captained the Reds in Jordan Henderson's absence.

The Brazilian Barcelona target opened the scoring with a perfectly timed whip, curled into the top corner from 20 yards out, with just six minutes gone.

Caretaker player-manager Leon Britton had organised the Welsh side well though to keep the home side at bay and cover cover cover, the lead staying just 1-0 at the break.

Liverpool had made four changes to the side that drew against Arsenal on Friday. It was a first Premier League start for Swansea frontman Oliver McBurnie.

But the home side soon took over and their opposition out, Roberto Firmino doubling the lead six minutes after the break, firing home Coutinho's free kick.

Scouse youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold made it three with his first Premier League goal for the club, smashing the ball in off the bar from close range, with his family watching.

Firmino tapped home the fourth a couple of minutes later, off Mohamed Salah's fine cut back, his fifth in four Premier League appearances against the Swans.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it five in the final ten minutes, pouncing on a poor clearance by Jordan Ayew.

And it could have been more, substitute Dominic Solanke coming close a few times,keeping stopper Lukasz Fabianski stretched left, right and centre.

Salah was not on the scoreboard for a change, wasting a few good chances but providing a couple.

The Welsh side had crumbled to bits after working oh so hard, Britton crying out for help and changes, quickly.

LFC manager Jürgen Klopp was a very happy man, but pointed out the hard work of the first 55 minutes.

And then the fun started for the Reds, "the last half an hour was fantastic, a joy to watch, a deserved win." Indeed.

It was the 10th time Liverpool have scored 5+ goals in 128 matches in all competitions under their German boss (6th time in the Premier League, 4th at home)

Keeper Simon Mignolet can also be very happy, keeping a clean sheet on his 200th Liverpool appearance after making a great fingertip save denying Tammy Abraham with the last touch of the game.

Since getting thrashed by Tottenham on the 22nd October, the Reds have been unbeaten in 14 games (9W, 5D), scored 45 goals and conceded 10.

Klopp's men have scored 72 goals in all competitions this season, way ahead of the likes of Barcelona (67), Manchester United (63), Chelsea (60) and Real Madrid (59).

The Brazilian duo have 43 goal involvements between them this season, man of the match Firmino with 15 goals and 7 assists, Coutinho 13 and 8 respectively.

And at home, Liverpool have only been behind for three minutes all season, conceding just three goals in the league at Anfield this season, the best defensive record in the Premier League.

But somehow it still feels like there is room for improvement, too many times the Reds have been shaken and dropped points disappointingly.

And with the January transfer window moving closer and closer, the rumours and talks are heating up once again.

But first things first, next on the fixture list are Leicester at Anfield on Saturday.

Liverpool Goals: Coutinho 6', Firmino 52', Alexander-Arnold 65', Firmino 66', Oxlade-Chamberlain 82'.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 26 Robertson (7 Milner 75'), 17 Klavan, 32 Matip, 66 Alexander-Arnold; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain; 10 Coutinho, 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 68'), 11 Salah (20 Lallana 69'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez, 19 Mané.

Swansea Team: 1 Fabianski; 16 Olsson (booked 56'), 6 Mawson, 33 Fernandez, 26 Naughton; 14 Carroll, 51 Mesa (17 Clucas 65'), 8 Fer (35 Renato Sanches 78'); 62 McBurnie (10 Abraham 62'), 18 Ayew, 15 Routledge. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 5 van der Hoorn, 12 Dyer, 13 Nordfeldt, 22 Rangel.

HT Stats: LFC 1-0 SCFC
Possession: 52%-48%
Shots: 8-3
On target: 2-2
Corners: 1-0
Fouls: 3-4
Yellow cards: 0-0

FT Stats: LFC 5-0 SCFC
Possession: 55%-45%
Shots: 22-7
On target: 9-4
Corners: 4-2
Fouls: 5-8
Yellow cards: 0-1

Referee: Kevin Friend
Man of the match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 52,850

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and SFR coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 17

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 17

The 17th week of the Premier League action saw:

21 goals - most by Leicester & Man City = 4 each
238 shots - most by Tottenham = 25
88 on target - most by Leicester = 11
99 corners - most by Tottenham = 10
209 fouls - most by Watford = 18
15 yellow cards - most by Palace, Everton, Bournemouth & West Ham - 2 each
2 red cards - Cleverley for Watford, Shelvey for Newcastle
0 penalties - :-o

What a game! It was an easy record-breaking 15th consecutive Premier League win for Manchester City after beating Swansea 4-0 at the Etihad thanks to David Silva's double, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero with the other goals and some brilliant exemplary football - unstoppable top dogs!
West Ham saw their goal disallowed for offside after some woeful defending by Arsenal - lucky Gunners! Petr Čech nearly handed the Hammers the lead but was lucky to see his defender clear the ball off the line after the keeper was unable to punch it clear. Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernández hit the bar after some more poor defending with a poor clearance, the visitors lucky to see the ball bounce off the bar, off the line and away. It ended 0-0 and a point each at the London Stadium. Arséne Wenger was again a very fortunate man to see his side get anything at all after a useless performance, but still making it no win in the last three league games. David Moyes on the other hand can be and is "really enjoying" life in East London after beating champions Chelsea at the weekend and holding the Gunners to a point. Revival.

What a team! It was all late drama on Tuesday night! What a late turnaround for Crystal Palace, and what a resurrection by Roy Hodgson, undefeated in the last six! The dramatic 2-1 win against Watford at Selhurst Park took the London side out of the relegation zone for the first time this season, at least temporarily after Tuesday night, off the bottom at least and just goal difference separating them from safety after Wednesday's matches. Tom Cleverley's late sending off for a second yellow card started the downfall for Marco Silva's side (87'). The Hornets leaked two goals in the final minutes, Bakary Sako (89') and James McArthur (90'+2) turning the game on its head and three crucial points into the home side's bag, the only win in the bottom half of the table this week!
And Burnley are flying higher and higher. Sean Dyche's side broke into the top four, at least for the time being after their 1-0 win against Stoke City on Tuesday night thanks to Ashley Barnes' late match winner at Turf Moor. This is the highest position the Clarets have been in the top flight since 1975! And even after the Wednesday matches, only goal difference separates them from the Champions League. Just imagine that!!!
Much in contrast to the other two matches on Tuesday night, it was all too easy and no competition for Chelsea, 1-3 winners at Huddersfield, keeping up the pace with second-placed Manchester United. This defeat was the fifth in the last six matches for the Terriers, nicht gut for David Wagner.

What a man! Romelu Lukaku has been under fire to say the least for his dip in form, so, when he gave Manchester United the lead with a header against Bournemouth, the unexpected non-celebration was weird. Nearly rude. Spoilt. Or something's up. Attitude. It was enough to give the Red Devils the win and three points at Old Trafford, even though the Cherries made much more of the match, actually played, and had more chances against an average side. Yes average. Apart from man of the match David de Gea, no one really showed up, did their job. José Mourinho's side have been less than impressive lately - his antiques off the field and in front of the microphones and cameras have failed to distract from that. Me at least. Attitude. Attitude. Attitude. Where's the quality? For that you have to look to the blue side of Manchester. Full stop.

What a goal! Top: Riyad Mahrez gave Leicester the lead at Southampton with a cheeky left-footer after a great individual run. Shinji Okazaki doubled the Foxes' lead and Andy King made it three, Claude Puel's men are in form and showing some of their good old fab football again we saw 2015-16. Maya Yoshida pulled one back for the Saints, but Okazaki sealed it making it four on the counter, 1-4 at St Mary's and four wins on the trot in the league. Too easy. Mauricio Pellegrino however, has not been questioned and under fire anywhere near as much as other bosses have been after such disappointing displays and results.
Flop: Wayne Rooney was on the spot for Everton after Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow spilled Aaron Lennon's header. Jonjo Shelvey's sending off just added to Rafael Benítez's misery. All the takeover malarkey off the field should not affect the play on the pitch and can definitely not be used as an excuse for such clumsy defending and just bad football.
Serge Aurier fooled the Brighton keeper too to give Tottenham the lead with a mishit cross from the right, similar to Willian's accidental equaliser for Chelsea against Liverpool in Week 13. Son Heung-min sealed the points for Spurs late on to make it 2-0 at Wembley, the Seagulls unable to form any kind of competition. Shame.

What the hell?! It's getting a little repetitive, oh what a surprise, oh shock, oh wow, Liverpool changes, rotation rotation rotation. As long as it brings results, boss Jürgen Klopp knows best... Or does he?! The Reds missed lots of chances and had a goal disallowed. Was it a goal? Nope, handball and booking for Dominic Solanke instead, obvious, replays confirmed, so, 0-0 it ended at Anfield, a point each. It was a deserved point for West Brom as they worked hard and stuck to their plan very well, bagging Alan Pardew's second point out of the three matches he has been in charge. Loris Karius made a couple of crucial top-quality saves to avoid a worse result for the Reds. The German manager was of course not happy, the post-match interviewer didn't get to feel the fumes this time though (unlike after the draw against Everton), no complaints, accepting the result, his side were just not good enough. Verdammt noch mal!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Burnley 1:1 Stoke City - 1:0
Crystal Palace 0:1 Watford - 2:1
Huddersfield 0:3 Chelsea - 1:3
Newcastle 1:1 Everton - 0:1
Southampton 1:2 Leicester - 1:4
Swansea 1:5 Man City - 0:4
Liverpool 3:1 West Brom - 0:0
Man United 3:1 Bournemouth - 1:0
Tottenham 2:1 Brighton - 2:0
West Ham 2:3 Arsenal - 0:0

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky Sports News and SFR live match coverage.

Liverpool Knocked Out At The King Power

Sports - Football - League Cup - LCFC 2:0 LFC

Leicester rediscovered their winning ways, seeing Liverpool fall once again after dominating most of the play and wasting chance after chance, the League Cup clash ending 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.

Click here for my full ByTheMinute match coverage.

It was an impressive comeback by the Foxes after being dominated in the first half. The stats speak for themselves. The Reds didn't make their chances count and their defence made them trip and fall once again.

Both sides had made a lot of changes, as normal for the early stages of the cup competition. But it was the substitutions during the match that cost dearly, top for the hosts, flop for the visitors, the Reds eliminated OUT of the League Cup, first hurdle, third round.

The match started very competitive, a professional clash, high-tempo but missing the edge, the Reds on top but with still no lead at the break, Craig Shakespeare's men holding on solid and strong.

Andy Robertson created a lot with some fine runs and crosses, Philippe Coutinho showed some of his good old magic with some awesome moves and Dominic Solanke shared plenty of chances with both of them.

But LFC just could not find a breakthrough. Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked more clumsy and wasteful, frustrating to watch, losing the ball too many times.

Why Jürgen Klopp opted to replace Coutinho with youngster Ben Woodburn after the break, hell knows. The Brazilian had created most and produced most quality and chances.

And the Reds were punished for their wastefulness just past the hour-mark.

Substitute Shinji Okazaki, who had come on for an injured Leonardo Ulloa not long after the interval, made no mistake. It was a scruffy finish after a couple of headers and Liverpool failing to clear a corner, Vicente Iborra the last one to head it straight into Okazaki, who put in the rebound.

Klopp then took off Georginio Wijnaldum and gave Danny Ings a run-around. Another questionable move, especially looking at the contrasting experience... And score-line!

Islam Slimani doubled the score a few minutes later with an unstoppable beauty, a left-footer into the top left corner, from the edge of the box. That was game over.

Simple: Liverpool hadn't taken their chances. Leicester have. The Coutinho substitution didn't help. And the defence was lacking and leaking once again.

Danny Ward made a couple of strong saves late one, denying Okazaki a double and Demarai Gray, who both starred for the home side.

Liverpool's defence let them down once again, no marking, too much space and question marks everywhere.

It will be the same clash again on Saturday, Liverpool back at the King Power Stadium, for the Premier League evening kick-off. Leicester will be on a confident high after this win.

The line-ups will surely change a lot, but will this trend of frustration, misses and leaks stop for the Reds??? It's getting too much!!! It's just not good enough! Beam me back to the Arsenal game, please! :-S #FFS

Was soll das Jürgen?!?!?! Scheiß-Dreck-Kack!!! -.- #COYR #ARGH

Leicester Goals: Okazaki 65' & Slimani 78'.

Leicester Line-Up: 12 Hamer, 18 Amartey, 16 Dragovic, 5 Morgan, 3 Chilwell, 11 Albrighton, 21 Iborra (booked 90'), 25 Ndidi (38 Choudhury 84'), 7 Gray, 19 Slimani, 23 Ulloa (20 Okazaki 55').
Subs not used: 8 Iheanacho, 13 Musa, 17 Jakupovic, 26 Mahrez, 29 Benalouane.

Liverpool Line-Up: 52 Ward, 38 Flanagan, 12 Gomez, 17 Klavan (booked 75'), 26 Robertson, 14 Henderson, 16 Grujic (booked 57'), 5 Wijnaldum (Ings 73'), 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain, 10 Coutinho (58 Woodburn HT), 29 Solanke.
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 18 Moreno, 50 Markovic, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

HT Stats: LCFC 0-0 LFC
Possession: 24%-76%
Shots: 2-13
On target: 1-3
Corners: 2-3
Fouls: 3-5

FT Stats: LCFC 2-0 LFC
Possession: 30%-70%
Shots: 8-20
On target: 5-3
Corners: 4-6
Fouls: 9-10
Yellow cards: 1-2

Referee: Stuart Attwell
Man of the match: Shinji Okazaki
Ground: King Power Stadium

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match report, BBC Radio and Sky Sports match coverage.

125th Anniversary: HBSC 0-3 LFC

Sports - Football - Pre-Season - HBSC 0:3 LFC 

Dominic Solanke, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah made the 125th anniversary match a comfortable 3-0 win for Liverpool against Hertha at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Philippe Coutinho captained the Reds in the German capital, while Emre Can and Sadio Mané made their first appearances of the summer.

'You'll Never Walk Alone' echoed around the Olympiastadion before kick-off, the one noticeably very red corner being noticeably very loud.

Jürgen Klopp's men took the lead in the 15th minute when Adam Lallana curled a ball into the box that Solanke gratefully nodded over keeper Rune Jarstein.

The Reds' lead was doubled just over 20 minutes later when Solanke pinched the ball high up the pitch and fed Mané in the box, who passed it on to the late-arriving Wijnaldum.

The Dutchman made no mistake with a low finish into the corner.

But the third goal topped them all with just over an hour gone.

Barca target Coutinho dinked a perfectly weighted pass up and over for new man Salah to lift the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.

Pál Dárdai's side were down and out.

'We Are Liverpool' echoed around the Reds supporters who certainly enjoyed the trip to Berlin.

It was an awesome atmosphere, another good run-out for the Reds and another pre-season victory.

Vielen Dank und auf Wiedersehen! ⚽👌😘👍⚽

The next pre-season warm-up comes thick and fast: Audi Cup clash against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

Liverpool goals: Solanke 15', Wijnaldum 38' & Salah 61'.

Hertha XI: 22 Rune Jarstein, 28 Fabian Lustenberger*, 21 Marvin Plattenhardt*, 4 Karim Rekik, 23 Mitchell Weiser*, 10 Ondrej Duda*, 3 Per Skjelbred*, 11 Mathew Leckie*, 6 Vladimir Darida*, 19 Vedad Ibisevic*, 8 Salomon Kalou*.

Subs: 17 Maximilian Mittelstädt*, 26 Arne Maier*, 29 Florian Baak*, 12 Jonathan Klinsmann*, 30 Julius Kade*, 32 Pál Dárdai*, 2 Peter Pekarík (booked)*, 14 Valentin Stocker*, 7 Alexander Esswein*, 24 Genki Haraguchi*.

Coach: Pál Dárdai

Reds XI: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez, 32 Matip*, 17 Klavan, 18 Moreno (booked)*, 23 Can*, 5 Wijnaldum*, 20 Lallana*, 19 Mané*, 10 Coutinho*, 29 Solanke*.

Subs: 73 Grabara, 26 Robertson*, 6 Lovren, 38 Flanagan*, 53 Ejaria*, 14 Henderson*, 9 Firmino*, 27 Origi, 15 Sturridge*, 11 Salah*, 40 Kent*.

Coach: Jürgen Klopp

*all subbed in the second half

Match stats: HBSC 0-3 LFC
Possession: 49.1%-50.9
Shots: 8-13
On target: 3-6
Blocked: 3-1
Corners: 4-3
Offside: 0-1
Saves: 3-3
Fouls: 13-13
Yellow cards: 1-1
Red cards: 0-0

Man of the match: Dominic Solanke
Ground: Olympiastadion
Attendance: 54,279

Click here to read my previous LFC match report.

Pictures, facts and stats taken from own attendance and the LFC match blog.