Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the US ended on a disappointing note, as they fell to a 2-1 loss to Serie A side AS Roma.
After clashes with Chelsea and AC Milan in the International Champions Cup in California, the Reds took to St Louis, Missouri for their final outing across the Atlantic.
This saw Jurgen Klopp name a strong side including Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge, as he looked to seal a positive result at Busch Stadium.
The stadium, home to Major League Baseball’s St Louis Cardinals, saw the two sides play out an attractive, end-to-end contest in the first half.
Sturridge, Firmino and Mane all combined positively in the final third, but were unable to convert their chances, with Liverpool’s No. 15 in particular showing signs of rustiness in front of goal.
It was Luciano Spalletti’s side that drew first blood, with Edin Dzeko powering a right-footed shot beyond Alex Manninger, but the Reds responded soon after.
With James Milner sending in a well-weighted corner kick, Dejan Lovren nodded the ball down for 19-year-old winger Sheyi Ojo to head home an equaliser.
The Reds headed into the break with the scores even, allowing Klopp to make 10 changes—keeping only Wijnaldum on the pitch from his starting lineup.
Among those to come on were Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, but after the interval Liverpool struggled to get a handle on the game.
A mixup between centre-back Andre Wisdom and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet allowed Mohamed Salah to net another goal for Roma on 62 minutes, setting off a fierce final half-hour.
The Reds ultimately fell to defeat, leaving Klopp disappointed with his side’s output, having utilised all of his available substitutes bar academy goalkeeper and, tellingly, Christian Benteke.
Liverpool now travel back to the UK to continue their preparations for the 2016/17 campaign, with a high-profile clash with Barcelona at Wembley Stadium to follow on Saturday evening.
After that, they will fly to Germany to take on Klopp’s former side, Mainz 05, before kicking off their Premier League season away to Arsenal.
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