EPL: Liverpool gives 107,000 in Ann Arbor money’s worth; win 4-1 over United

Liverpool ended their U.S. preseason tour with a splendid performance. The packed crowd was treated to some stunners in the 4-1 win over Man United.

Liverpool ended their International Champions Cup with a 4-1 victory in Ann Arbor over Manchester United. The second win for Jurgen Klopp’s side puts them in second in the ICC table, one point behind Borussia Dortmund. The 107,000+ in attendance at Michigan Stadium were treated to some spectacular goals in an overall entertaining match.

The Reds were all over Man United’s defense in the first half, with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane wrecking havoc in the final third. Liverpool’s first goal came from the spot as Mane banged it home to give Liverpool the lead. That 1-0 lead only lasted three minutes. Andreas Pereira struck a free kick into the top corner to equalize in the 31st minute.

Liverpool came out flying in the second half and just kept scoring and gaining possession. Daniel Sturridge stepped onto the pitch and scored within 45 seconds of subbing in. The third came from another penalty, this time Sheyi Ojo scored from the spot.

With minutes to spare before the final whistle, Xherdan Shaqiri ignited the Ann Arbor crowd with a beautiful bicycle kick to put the cherry on the cake. The unofficial debut of Shaqiri will be remembered by Liverpool fans and neutral EPL fans. Thank god he isn’t playing in the Championship next season.

This match’s scoreline tells the story. Liverpool looked much better offensively and dominated Jose Mourinho’s United. In United’s defense though, their main attackers (Lukaku, Rashford, Lingard, Pogba) are all not on the tour, leaving Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata with the scoring duties in the preseason.

Still, it’s another underwhelming preseason performance from the Red Devils. They have no wins in regulation in their four friendlies and it is only gonna get harder. Man United plays Real Madrid on Tuesday in Miami and then play Bayern on August 5th in Munich.

Liverpool’s preseason isn’t done yet. They will play Napoli and Torino before they begin the 2018-19 season at home against West Ham. This ICC was a success for Liverpool, with the loss to Dortmund the only blemish on the results list.