Final, 2-0 Liverpool: It’s all over in Charlotte. Liverpool wins by two.
AC Milan provided little resistance to Liverpool, as the Reds strolled to victory in North Carolina. Goals from Allen and Suso were the difference in the scoreline, which aptly reflected how much better Liverpool was than AC Milan.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
90th minute +3, 2-0 Liverpool: Crisante hits a powerful shot from the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, but Mignolet palms it over the crossbar.
89th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Suso doubles Liverpool’s lead.
[tweet https://twitter.com/LivEchoLFC/status/495728749753929730 align=’center’]
86th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: As the game nears its conclusion, Liverpool is controlling play, passing the ball with increasing confidence and tempo.
80th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Andrea Poli and Cristian Zapata are AC Milan’s latest substitutes. Muntari and Abate head to the bench.
78th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Mignolet saves Nyang’s effort by rushing off his line and blocking the Milan striker’s shot.
74th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Two AC Milan players are down with apparent injuries.
[tweet https://twitter.com/losmanolostv/status/495725771189932032 align=’center’]
Gerrard launched a long pass into the AC Milan penalty area toward Suso. Gabriel rushed off his line to punch it away, but he collided with De Sciglio.
De Sciglio came off worse, and Albertazzi will replace him.
70th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: The game lost a bit of rhythm after both teams made a host of second-half substitutions.
Neither team has created any scoring chances — be they clear-cut or half-chances — since the opening exchanges in the second half.
65th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: AC Milan makes more substations.
Mexes replaces Rami. Keisuke Honda comes on for El Shaarawy, and Crisante replaces Essien.
60th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Liverpool is making wholesale changes.
Enrique, Johnson, Can, Gerrard, Coutinho, Peterson, Skrtel and Sakho are on.
Kelly, Robinson, Lucas, Coates, Toure, Lucas, Ibe and Allen depart.
54th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: AC Milan looks like a different team with Balotelli leading the forward line.
Balotelli has helped AC Milan improve possession with his hold-up play, which allows his teammates to pass and receive the ball further up the field than they did in the first half.
48th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Balotelli lines up a free kick and shoots, but his effort deflects off the Liverpool wall and goes out for a corner kick.
46th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: The second half is underway.
Liverpool made some substitutions at halftime.
Suso and Cody are on. Sterling and Henderson depart.
AC Milan counters with a double swap of its own.
AC Milan is sending on star forward Mario Balotelli and goalkeeper Gabriel. Abbiati and Pazzini exit.
Halftime, 1-0 Liverpool: It’s halftime. The Reds are up by one.
Liverpool deserved the lead it currently holds, based on the advantage in possession, territory and the scoring chances it created. However, the Reds will be disappointed not to have the two-goal lead Lambert could have given them.
Liverpool showed greater energy, fluency and sharper passing than its opponent in the first 45 minutes. AC Milan was, at times, lost, hopeless and disinterested in the game it signed up to play. The Italian club appeared to wake up just a few minutes before halftime.
45th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: The referee blows the whistle for halftime, and there’s some pushing and shoving.
[tweet https://twitter.com/br_uk/status/495716699220348928 align=’center’]
43rd minute, 1-0 Liverpool: De Sciglio is cautioned.
43rd minute, 1-0 Liverpool: AC Milan’s attack finally springs to life, as Niang makes a solo dribble into the Liverpool penalty area. The Reds eventually cleared the danger.
36th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: The Reds remain dominant and look far more likely to score a second goal before AC Milan scores its first.
35th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Sterling fires high over the crossbar.
30th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Kelly is cautioned — apparently for grabbing Pazzini’s jersey, as AC Milan was preparing to take a corner kick.
28th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Abbiati saves Lambert’s penalty kick.
[tweet https://twitter.com/propagandaphoto/status/495710910019665920 align=’center’]
Lambert shot low and to the right, but it was too close to center to cause problems for Abbiati.
27th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Sterling wins a penalty kick for Liverpool.
Rami appeared to step on Sterling’s foot inside the penalty area, and the Liverpool forward went down rather easily.
25th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: The goal has boosted Liverpool, as the Reds have gained a greater advantage in possession and territory since Allen’s goal.
17th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Allen puts the Reds ahead.
[tweet https://twitter.com/LFC/status/495707251546415104 align=’center’]
The Liverpool midfielder dispossessed Essien, dribbled forward (into a one-on-one situation against Abbiati) and shot off the post from close range. The rebound fell to Ibe, who shot, but Abbiati saved it.
Allen then collected the second rebound and fired it home.
[tweet https://twitter.com/LFCUSA/status/495712771057545216 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/LivEchoLFC/status/495705840461283329 align=’center’]
13th minute, 0-0: The game continues at a slow tempo. The teams are comfortable in possession — because neither side is applying much pressure in the midfield — but lacking the required quality in the final third to create scoring chances.
Seventh minute, 0-0: Essien makes a clumsy tackle on Sterling. There wasn’t much malice in it, and the Liverpool forward emerges unscathed.
Fifth minute, 0-0: There has been a slow start to the game, as neither team is putting the other under pressure.
Most of the play largely has happened in the midfield.
First minute, 0-0: The Liverpool-AC Milan game is underway.
Pregame: Due to Manchester City’s loss (in the penalty-kick shootout) to Olympiacos, Liverpool already is assured of a spot in the International Champions Cup final.
[tweet https://twitter.com/LFC/status/495693676866043906 align=’center’]
6 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Jack Robinson (49), left back
Sebastian Coates (16), defender
Kolo Toure (4), center back
Martin Kelly (34), right back
Lucas Leiva (21), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Joe Allen (24), midfielder
Raheem Sterling (31), forward
Jordon Ibe (33), forward
Rickie Lambert (9), striker
Substitutes
Brad Jones (1), goalkeeper
Martin Skrtel (37), defender
Mamadou Sakho (17), defender
Glen Johnson (2), defender
Jose Enrique (3), defender
Steven Gerrard (8), midfielder
Emre Can (23), midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (10), midfielder
Suso (30), midfielder
Kristof Peterson (54), forward
Connor Coady (35), striker
AC Milan
Christian Abbiati (32), goalkeeper
Mattia De Sciglio (2), left back
Daniele Bonera (25), center back
Adil Rami (13), center back
Ignazio Abate (20), right back
Michael Essien (15), midfielder
Sulley Muntari (4), midfielder
Riccardo Saponara (8), midfielder
Stephen El Shaarawy (92), forward
Giampaolo Pazzini (11), forward
M’Baye Niang (19), striker
Substitutes
Michael Agazzi (1), goalkeeper
Gabriel (59), goalkeeper
Michelangelo Albertazzi (14), defender
Kevin Constant (21), defender
Philippe Mexes (5), defender
Marco Pinato (38), defender
Christian Zaccardo (81) defender
Christian Zapata (17), defender
Bryan Cristante (24), midfielder
Andrej Modic (42), midfielder
Andrea Poli (16), midfielder
Mario Balotelli (45), forward
Keisuke Honda (10), forward
Hachim Mastour (98), forward
4:30 p.m. ET: Liverpool’s 2014 US Tour continues Saturday when it faces Italian club AC Milan at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
It will be the teams’ third and final game of pool play in the International Champions Cup. Liverpool sits atop its group courtesy of victories over Olympiacos (1-0 on Sunday) and Manchester City (winning the penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday). If the Reds defeat AC Milan, they will advance to Monday’s International Champions Cup final in Miami.
Over 66,000 fans will attend Saturday’s game, ensuring that Liverpool’s fourth stop in the U.S. will be the highest-attended game of them all.
The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Stay right here for all the action from Bank of America Stadium.
Photo via LiverpoolFC.com Â
