Liverpool battled from a goal behind to secure its first victory of preseason on Saturday, with Suso and Kristoffer Peterson notching in a 2-1 win over Preston North End at Deepdale.
Josh Brownhill scored in the closing seconds of the first half to secure an advantage that the League One club defended strongly, but a fine curling finish by Suso with a quarter of an hour remaining leveled things.
The turnaround was completed when unstoppable build-up work by Jordon Ibe created the chance for Peterson to follow up his strike against Brondby on Wednesday with the winner Saturday.
Brendan Rodgers handed maiden appearances in Liverpool colours to Rickie Lambert and Emre Can, with the former sporting the No. 9 shirt that he had earlier been confirmed as wearing for next season following his transfer from Southampton.
After the game, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers praised his players’ efforts.
“It was an excellent work out for us, as we expected,” Rodgers said, according to LiverpoolFC.com. “We knew it’d be a tough game.
“I’m really pleased with the players, how hard they’ve been working and their fitness levels up to this point. A lot of the players played an hour, which was very, very good for them.
“I’m particularly pleased with the young players that came on and the intensity of their play. They know the structure of how we play, the dominance of the ball and I thought when they came on for that last half hour, it lifted the game. They showed quality and we ended up getting two goals. It was very pleasing.”
The Reds will head stateside for their next match, as they travel to Boston next Wednesday, July 23, to take on FC Roma at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
Photo via LiverpoolFC.com
