Liverpool 2-1 Leicester: Thrilling Pre-Season Fixture Sees Reds Crowned Asia Trophy Champions
Liverpool continued their unbeaten record in pre-season by slotting two goals past Leicester City, as the Reds were crowned Premier League Asia Trophy winners at the Hong Kong Stadium - much to the delight of those in the crowd, who were primarily decked out in the red of Liverpool.
There were clear indications from each club that the competitive juices were already flowing as the thrilling fixture showed no indications of being a pre-season friendly, as both side's went hammer and tong in pursuit of early season success.
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Despite the humid conditions in Hong Kong, both side's started the game with the tempo expected at a normal Premier League fixture, with Jurgen Klopp's side pressurising the Foxes into mistakes in possession early on.
The Reds' rotating forward line asked the Foxes questions early as intricate play between Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah was just missing the final touch, but Leicester's glimpse of attacking prowess on the counter was a clear indication of the danger they posed to Liverpool.
It didn't take long for Leicester to take their chance however as they were the first to break the deadlock when a Christian Fuchs cross to the back post towards an isolated James Milner gave Islam Slimani a clear header on goal, which he powerfully put behind for the Foxes to take the lead.
Loris Karius almost gifted Leicester their second after a misplaced pass from Joel Matip forced the stopper to clear his lines, but his desperate attempt to clear gifted the ball straight to Marc Albrighton, whose miss control saved Liverpool's blushes.
'Whatever you can do, I can do better' was the early theme of the night between the sides as Coutinho and Salah once again linked-up, however this time their final touch was impeccable.
The one-two between the duo led to the Brazilian chipping the ball through the middle of the penalty box, finding the Egyptian winger whose head guided the ball beyond an extended Kasper Schmeichel.
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Despite Leicester consistently looking dangerous in-behind Liverpool's press, the link-up play between the Reds' creative players proved too great as they bamboozled the Foxes defence.
It ultimately created space for Coutinho to cut onto his right foot and unleash a trademark strike which curled devastatingly into the back of the net, leaving Schmeichel with absolutely no chance of saving as the Reds took the lead merely minutes away from half-time.
Despite the competitive nature of the game, multiple changes for both sides preceded the second-half whistle, with fitness and game time still a key consideration for both managers.
Much to the delight of the crowd the game initially picked up from where it left off, but another sloppy back pass by Matip gave Liverpool an early scare and brought Jamie Vardy into the game.
The England international played off the shoulder of the Reds' back-line and had multiple opportunities to level the scores - with his clinical finishing evading him at this point in the season.
The half continued to move from end-to-end, with neither side finding a clear breakthrough due to the fact that as the game wore on and young players made their way onto the field, it became clear that the humid climate was sapping the energy of the players.
A rather tame finish to the game led to the end of the Asia Trophy tournament in Hong Kong, with Liverpool crowned the competition's eighth winner.
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Liverpool will now head back to their Melwood training base before heading off to Germany for the club's next portion of their pre-season preparations, which will start with a fixture on Saturday against Hertha Berlin, at the famous Olympiastadion.
The occasion could offer Liverpool fans the opportunity of seeing their newest addition at left-back, Andy Robertson don the famous red strip for the first time in his Anfield career.
Watch all Liverpool pre-season games live here: www.sky.com/shop/tv/extra-channels/lfctv/
