Football
ESPN staff 7y

Sturridge, Moreno, Firmino score as Liverpool beat Sydney FC in friendly

SYDNEY -- Daniel Sturridge scored a goal and bagged an assist as Liverpool strolled to a 3-0 friendly win over A-League champions Sydney FC in Australia on Wednesday.

Jurgen Klopp's side, who had only arrived in Australia some 11 hours prior to kick-off, began the match with two club legends -- Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher -- in the starting XI, which gave the match somewhat of a testimonial atmosphere.

Sturridge stamped Liverpool's authority on the Australian side early on, opening the scoring in the eighth minute after shifting the ball easily past Sky Blues defender Michael Zullo.

From there, things didn't get much better for the hosts. Alberto Moreno doubled Liverpool's advantage 10 minutes later, latching on to a sumptuous chip from Roberto Firmino before drilling past a despairing Danny Vukovic.

Sturridge then turned provider for Firmino, once again turning Zullo inside out before centring the ball for the Brazil international to turn in six minutes before the break.

Klopp rang the changes at half-time, introducing almost an entirely different line-up from the first 45 minutes. Regulars Adam Lallana and Joel Matip were joined on the pitch by former stars Steve McManaman and Daniel Agger, as well as host of Liverpool youngsters.

But with the changes, the tempo of the game was lost. Sydney FC keeper Vukovic made a string of saves in the second stanza to keep the score respectable but, in the end, the Premier League side we just too classy for their Australian counterparts.

Speaking after the victory, Klopp said: "I had no idea how we would go in the game. It was the most intense football trip for an away game I've ever had."

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