Singapore Festival of Football: Liverpool stroll to 4-0 win amid subdued crowd

SINGAPORE — The players were not at full speed. Their fans were also not at full voice. No matter, Liverpool were still too strong for Leicester City as they strolled to a 4-0 victory in their Singapore Festival of Football friendly on Sunday (30 July).

It was a strangely muted affair at the National Stadium though. For a fan base well-known for their ability to create a wall of noise at their Anfield home ground, the 28,597 Reds fans in Singapore were far more subdued for this match.

Perhaps it was the unusual kickoff time of 5pm. Perhaps it was the half-filled stadium. But the match had a lazy, post-Sunday brunch atmosphere which matched the pre-season pace of the friendly on the field.

Not that it mattered much to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. "Good day at the office," the German quipped at the post-match media conference.

"We scored wonderful goals, took our half-chances well. We were a bit too calm in our passing at first, but eventually we found some intensity and got our goals. Result is fine, no one is injured, a lot of good moments, but we can of course do better."

Reds took time to get going

Leicester, who were relegated from the English Premier League last season, started off as the brighter side. With new manager Enzo Maresca in charge, the Foxes produced several fluent counterattacks that required a last-ditch interceptions by Reds captain Virgil van Dijk and a fine save by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

In contrast, Liverpool took a while to get going. Striker Darwin Nunez found the net in the 10th minute but was correctly ruled out for offside, as the Reds found Leicester a tough nut to crack.

Just as it seemed as if the match needed a moment to jolt the sleepy crowd, Liverpool found three in a space of eight minutes to stun Leicester as they raced to a 3-0 lead.

In the 30th minute, new signing Alexis Mac Allister managed to thread a pass through the Foxes defence to Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward forced a fine save from Mads Hermansen, but Nunez reacted swiftly to sweep the rebound from a tight angle.

It was the Uruguayan's fourth goal in three pre-season games, and fans will be excited to see him finally reaching his peak prowess in the upcoming season.

Five minutes later, Liverpool doubled their lead, courtesy of the first senior goal by 18-year-old Bobby Clark. The young midfielder was picked out by Mohamed Salah following a fine dribble into the box, and slammed it emphatically home.

Salah was the provider again for the Reds' third goal just three minutes later. This time, he chipped a pin-point cross between two Leicester defenders, where Jota arrived to head the ball into goal.

Doak, Diaz sparkle in the second half

Second half brought the usual wholesale changes from both sides, and Liverpool's scoring momentum stalled as they gave several youngsters a chance to prove themselves with the senior team.

And it was the highly-rated forward Ben Doak who seized his opportunity best. The 17-year-old Scot scored Liverpool's fourth goal in the 64th minute from a corner by new signing Dominik Szoboszlai. Defender Joel Matip headed the ball on, and Doak was alert in the far corner to head into the net.

Colombian forward Luis Diaz was also a bright spark in the second half, constantly threatening the Leicester defence with his runs. He must have thought he got a reward for his performance when he headed home from close range in the 73rd minute, but it was marginally ruled offside, much to the displeasure of the fans, who jeered loudly at the referee's decision.

That proved to be a rare noisy moment from the crowd in the second half, before they finally raised their voices after the final whistle, as Liverpool were awarded the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy for their victory.

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