Shamrock Rovers vs. Liverpool: Post-Match Reaction from Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool cruised to a 4-0 win over Shamrock Rovers in Dublin, as the Reds rounded off their season in some style in front of a bumper 42,000-strong crowd.

There were not too many of the familiar first-team faces on show for Liverpool, but their youngsters impressed at the Aviva Stadium. Brendan Rodgers will certainly have been given plenty of food for thought as he prepares his squad for next season.

Whilst there was no Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard or Daniel Sturridge, the likes of Conor Coady, Ryan McLaughlin and Rafael Paez were all starting.

There were some of the bigger names in attendance in the Irish capital, although not taking part in the game.

It did not take the visitors long to grab the lead, with Iago Aspas netting after just eight minutes. The goal came as a result of some searing pace from Jordan Ibe on the wing, who continued to impress throughout.

There were no more goals in the first half, although Rovers did strike a post and threatened perhaps more than most expected.

Their chances of picking up a famous win were quelled at the beginning of the second half, though. Again, Ibe produced some great wing play to set up Fabio Borini, who delivered a cool finish on 47 minutes.

Ibe was certainly impressing the fans and drew some compliments on Twitter:

Martin Kelly bundled home the third with one-quarter of an hour left before 19-year-old Jack Dunn finished impressively to round off the win with five minutes to go.

Whilst the result meant little, it was a nice way for the Reds to round off their season after the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title.

Liverpool boss Rodgers was delighted with the performance of his young charges. Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo reported that the manager, like everyone else, was particularly impressed by Ibe:

His praise was not restricted to Ibe, though, as he extended the compliments to goalscorer Dunn and the rest of the team:

Manchester United fans did not miss the opportunity to rub more salt in the wound of Liverpool's Premier League woes, though. As shared by RTE Soccer, a plane flew over the Aviva Stadium reminding those in attendance how many league titles Reds skipper Steven Gerrard has won:

With or without this mickey-taking, this was a positive night for Liverpool, who proved the future is bright for them.

Borini and Iago showed they could be ready to make an impact in the first team after false starts at Anfield, whilst Ibe could well be the next academy star to make the breakthrough.

Rodgers' attention will now turn to which players he wants to bring in over the summer transfer window. 

The defence has been identified as the area of the pitch Liverpool most need strengthening in, and liverpoolstuff reported that Rodgers seemed to admit that fact:

He has been linked with a whole host of Europe's top stars as he hopes to push Liverpool to a first Premier League title next season.

With the pieces in place after a strong season, the club's chances are looking good.