Tranmere Rovers vs. Liverpool: Score, Reaction from 2016 Pre-Season Friendly

Liverpool got their 2016-17 pre-season tour up and running with a 1-0 win over Tranmere Rovers on Friday evening, where substitute Danny Ings netted a deserved late winner after coming on at half-time.  

Manager Jurgen Klopp fielded an experimental lineup for his first outing of the 2016-17 pre-season campaign, as new signings Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Loris Karius earned their first starts for the club:

Ings smoothly continued his recovery from last season's knee injury with a substitute's performance, while Lazar Markovic hit the woodwork and missed the chance to make a scoring return following his loan at Fenerbahce.

Despite the modest scoreline, Friday's friendly meeting made for an entertaining exercise, and League One side Tranmere were gracious in defeat:

After a 15-minute delay at Prenton Park, Friday's friendly got under way later than scheduled, but the debutant Mane ensured there was a swift injection of pace, as his Liverpool career began with a bang.

The Tranmere defence denied the £34 million signing despite his pacy work down the flank, while youngster Ovie Ejaria impressed for the Merseysiders with his driving runs from midfield.

However, Rovers goalkeeper Scott Davies was equal to everything Liverpool threw at him during the first period, and there were lulls in play when Liverpool's attack appeared to grow incensed with the blockade in front of them.

Some of the attention was diverted toward Roberto Firmino's choice of haircut over the summer break; Liverpool GIFs was not a fan of the Brazilian's new do:

"

Please Firmino #LFCtour pic.twitter.com/UCasgJASVX

— Liverpool Gifs (@LiverpoolGifs) July 8, 2016"

Ejaria continued to stand out as one of those Reds attackers doing their utmost to inject some impetus into the match, and he left a positive impression on football writer Dave Phillips:

Meanwhile, Mane grabbed the attention of Liverpool writer Dave O'Connell:

The goalkeeper Karius didn't have much to do in his first 45-minute spell as a Liverpool player, but the Premier League side could feel disappointed not to have been at least a goal up at the break, given Tranmere's lack of possession.

Klopp then made the decision to overhaul his team for the second period, hauling off even Karius in favour of testing out some more of the new breed, per Liverpool's official Twitter account:

Among that number was Ings, who captained the team for the second half, while Trent Alexander-Arnold also came on for a rare spot in the first team, although he didn't look too out of place.

After a few close attempts for a determined-looking Ings, it was that exact pairing who linked up with 11 minutes remaining, and the fit-again striker thrust home the opener, via Anfield HQ:

Klopp's men made their manoeuvres to chase a second, but the scoreline mattered little considering just how many youngsters impressed—some in their first showing for Liverpool's senior side.

The German coach will look at the likes of Cameron Brannagan, Ejaria, Alexander-Arnold and 16-year-old Ben Woodburn as some of those he'll be keeping an extra eye on in his second season with the club.

Liverpool next travel to Fleetwood Town on Wednesday, where they'll hope to push on and continue their preparation for the 2016-17 season under Klopp in a positive manner.

The Reds will seek significant improvements against their upcoming League One opponents, too, as they eye their trip to the International Champions Cup in the United States come the end of July.

Post-Match Reaction

Jon Super/Associated Press

Of all the players looking to leave their mark on Tranmere, Ings perhaps had the most reason to seek an impact in front of Klopp after missing a great majority of the 2015-16 season through injury.

And the desired impact was had, to say the least, judging by how impressed Klopp was with what he saw of the former Burnley attacker after his introduction:

The LFC TV panel were also left content with what they saw of debutant Mane, playing his first game for the Reds since moving from Southampton:

One game down in pre-season and Liverpool can afford to feel confident about their 2016-17 preparations thus far, particularly considering many of their players are still absent from the squad.