Pre-season

Reds On Tour

Pre-Season preparations are well underway for Jürgen Klopp and his players with plenty of goals and some controversy. This is the story so far...

Tranmere Rovers FC 0-6 Liverpool FC

Rhian Brewster struck a double as the European champions got their Pre-Season campaign underway with a 6-0 win across the River Mersey at Tranmere Rovers FC.

Nathaniel Clyne, back from his loan spell at AFC Bournemouth, got the goalscoring going in the sixth minute from Brewster's pass before the teenage striker netted twice in seven minutes at the end of the first-half. He headed home a cross from Harry Wilson before reacting sharply to turn in the rebound after James Milner's shot was parried.

Jürgen Klopp fielded a completely different XI after the break and his second-half team also scored three. Curtis Jones converted Ben Woodburn's cross, Divock Origi controlled a long ball from Joel Matip and slotted home before Bobby Duncan, on his first appearance with the First-Team, pounced from six yards to complete the scoring.

Liverpool FC (4-3-3): Mignolet (Jaros); Clyne (Hoever), Phillips (Matip), Gomez (Johnston), Larouci (Lewis); Oxlade-Chamberlain (Fabinho), Lallana (Jones), Milner (Woodburn); Wilson (Glatzel (Atherton)), Brewster (Duncan), Kent (Origi).
Goals: Clyne (6), Brewster (38, 45), Jones (53), Origi (60), Duncan (67)

Bobby Duncan celebrates his goal

Bradford City FC 1-3 Liverpool FC

A sold out Utilita Energy Stadium crowd of 24,343 – the biggest at Bradford City FC since the stadium reopened in 1986 – saw James Milner score twice on his return to West Yorkshire as funds were raised for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.

The Motor Neurone Disease charity was established by former Liverpool FC right-back Stephen Darby, and fellow MND suffered Chris Rimmer, after 30-year-old Stephen was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2018. Proceeds from the game went to the foundation.

Milner's opening goal took a nick off Bantams' striker James Vaughan en-route to the net, before he scored from the penalty spot two minutes later after Ryan Kent was fouled. Brewster got the third, again being in the right place to snaffle up a rebound, and although Eoin Doyle pulled one back from a late penalty, the afternoon belonged to Stephen Darby and Chris Rimmer.

Liverpool FC (4-3-3): Mignolet (Atherton); Clyne (Hoever), Phillips (Matip), Lovren (Gomez), Larouci (Lewis); Lallana (Fabinho), Milner (Woodburn), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Jones); Wilson (Millar), Kent (Origi), Brewster (Duncan).
Sub not used: Johnston.
Goals: Milner (13, 15pen), Brewster (51, Doyle 81pen)

Stephen Darby and Chris Rimmer

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Liverpool FC

Harry Wilson and Rhian Brewster were on target, but Liverpool FC slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Jürgen Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund on the first leg of the Club's US Tour in red-hot Northern Indiana.

With temperatures touching 33 degrees when the game kicked off at the Notre Dame Stadium, hosting its first ever football game, conditions were difficult for both sides and BVB struck first when Paco Alcacer scored in the third minute.

Wilson equalised, after Ryan Kent's dummy allowed him space in the box to convert Fabinho's pass, but Borussia Dortmund scored two quick goals after the break through Thomas Delaney and Jacob Bruun Larsen.

A confidently-taken Brewster penalty, after Ben Woodburn was fouled, brought the Reds back into it, but that was the end of the scoring on a sweltering Bend night as Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum all made their first appearances in Pre-Season.

Liverpool FC (4-3-3): Mignolet; Clyne (Alexander-Arnold 59), Matip (Lovren 59), Gomez (Van Dijk 59), Larouci (Robertson 59); Fabinho (Henderson 59), Milner (Wijnaldum 59), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Lewis 59); Wilson (Jones 59), Kent (Woodburn 59), Origi (Brewster 59).
Subs not used: Lonergan, Atherton, Phillips, Hoever.
Goals: Alcacer (3), Wilson (35), Delaney (53), Larsen (58), Brewster (75pen)

Rhian Brewster converts his penalty

Sevilla FC 2-1 Liverpool FC

A last-minute goal gave Sevilla FC a 2-1 victory against the Reds at Fenway Park in Boston, but the main talking point was a rash 75th minute tackle from Joris Gnagon on Yasser Larouci that resulted in Liverpool FC's teenage left-back being stretchered off.

Gnagon was red-carded for his controversial challenge in what was a feisty affair at the home of the Boston Red Sox, with Harry Wilson also on the end of a stray elbow from Ever Banega in the first-half.

Former Manchester City FC forward Nolito curled Sevilla FC ahead in the 37th minute, but after a brilliant save from 35-year-old goalkeeper Andy Lonergan – a free agent who has joined Liverpool FC on the US Tour as Jürgen Klopp is without three goalkeepers – Divock Origi levelled from close range after Nat Phillips headed down a corner.

Klopp changed his entire team at half-time on another warm night and although Sevilla FC played the final 15 minuted with 10 men following Gnagon's dismissal, Alejandro Pozo scored a 90th minute winner after rounding Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool FC (4-3-3): Lonergan (Mignolet 46), Alexander-Arnold (Hoever 46), Phillips (Gomez 46), Van Dijk (Lovren 46), Robertson (Larouci 46 (Duncan 80)), Wijnaldum (Milner 46), Henderson (Fabinho 46), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Jones 46), Woodburn (Kent 46), Wilson (Lewis 46), Origi (Brewster 46).
Subs not used: Matip, Atherton
Goals: Nolito (37), Origi (44), Pozo (90)

Yasser Larouci was on the end of a bad challenge