James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne, Danny Ings and Joe Gomez all had their first Liverpool outings on Tuesday, as the Reds cruised to a 4-0 victory against the Thai All Stars.
Liverpool’s opening game of the 2015 summer tour was very much a game of two halves.
Brendan Rodgers named different elevens for each period, and as the second got under way the heavens opened – reducing the surface in the second 45 to a quagmire.
England Under-18s international Jordan Rossiter also featured
Despite the challenging conditions, Rodgers will be encouraged by what he saw as his team clicked into gear from the off.
Lazar Markovic opened the scoring after three minutes and Mamadou Sakho nodded home a second just before the break.
Liverpool’s starting side – which as well as Gomez and Ings included Rickie Lambert and Under-18s starlet Jordan Rossiter – was overhauled at the interval.
On came Clyne and Milner — while Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and Jordon Ibe also entered the fray.
And as the second half began, so too did the rain – and it did not stop for the remainder of the game.
The conditions did not prevent Liverpool from adding two more to their tally – with two England midfielders combining for the third.
Good to get a runout tonight and a win great atmosphere in the stadium. Bangkok it's been a pleasure ⚽️👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/DAtbfreH3V
— Nathaniel Clyne (@Nathaniel_Clyne) July 14, 2015
After picking up Henderson’s 'Rabona' pass, Lallana fired home with a fine left-foot strike.
In the closing moments another debutant – Belgium international Divock Origi – got the fourth and final goal of the game.
Liverpool now head for Australia where they will play two games – against Brisbane Roar (17 July) and Adelaide United (20 July).
Following that they complete the tour with a game in Kuala Lumpur against a Malaysia XI on Friday 24 July.
When they return they have one more friendly – against HJK Helsinki – on 1 August, before taking on Stoke City in their first Premier League game of the season a week later.
