Liverpool 3-0 Gomel - Brendan Rodgers reflects on reds pressing game | Europa League Qualifier
- 10 years ago
Liverpool produced a convincing display to ensure new manager Brendan Rodgers celebrated his first match at Anfield with victory over FC Gomel of Belarus.
Goals from Fabio Borini - on his home debut - Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson took Liverpool into the final qualifying play-off round of the Europa League 4-0 on aggregate.
Swansea midfielder Joe Allen watched from the directors' box.
He is expected to complete a transfer to Anfield in the next 24 hours.
Even accounting for the lack of quality on show from FC Gomel, this was the kind of display that Rodgers must have hoped his players would produce.
The Reds were inspired by Lucas Leiva's midfield leadership and the fluidity of movement found by Borini, Gerrard and the tireless Luis Suarez.
The watching Allen should certainly have been impressed with what he saw ahead of a proposed medical on Friday.
Liverpool will not have the luxury of playing FC Gomel every week, of course, but the building blocks of Rodgers' philosophy were there for all to see.
On paper this was the ideal settler for Rodgers: unheralded opponents, a full house and the luxury of picking from arguably his strongest side. The 39-year-old paused for a moment to soak up the ovation when he stepped out on to the pitch.
Some 20 minutes later Anfield would rise again, this time to celebrate another new arrival as Borini put Liverpool in front.
Sharper to the ball, swifter to use it, Liverpool settled quickly to produce some flowing attacking moves.
Suarez and Gerrard were at the heart of everything good about Liverpool, combining after 15 minutes, only for the Uruguayan to fire over from the edge of the penalty area. Borini and Suarez tuned into the same wavelength immediately, exchanging passes and positions as Liverpool strove for the breakthrough.
The waspish Suarez jinked along the byline after another surging burst down the left flank, the ball deflected into the path of Borini who drilled a low volley under goalkeeper Vladimir Bushma to score
Goals from Fabio Borini - on his home debut - Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson took Liverpool into the final qualifying play-off round of the Europa League 4-0 on aggregate.
Swansea midfielder Joe Allen watched from the directors' box.
He is expected to complete a transfer to Anfield in the next 24 hours.
Even accounting for the lack of quality on show from FC Gomel, this was the kind of display that Rodgers must have hoped his players would produce.
The Reds were inspired by Lucas Leiva's midfield leadership and the fluidity of movement found by Borini, Gerrard and the tireless Luis Suarez.
The watching Allen should certainly have been impressed with what he saw ahead of a proposed medical on Friday.
Liverpool will not have the luxury of playing FC Gomel every week, of course, but the building blocks of Rodgers' philosophy were there for all to see.
On paper this was the ideal settler for Rodgers: unheralded opponents, a full house and the luxury of picking from arguably his strongest side. The 39-year-old paused for a moment to soak up the ovation when he stepped out on to the pitch.
Some 20 minutes later Anfield would rise again, this time to celebrate another new arrival as Borini put Liverpool in front.
Sharper to the ball, swifter to use it, Liverpool settled quickly to produce some flowing attacking moves.
Suarez and Gerrard were at the heart of everything good about Liverpool, combining after 15 minutes, only for the Uruguayan to fire over from the edge of the penalty area. Borini and Suarez tuned into the same wavelength immediately, exchanging passes and positions as Liverpool strove for the breakthrough.
The waspish Suarez jinked along the byline after another surging burst down the left flank, the ball deflected into the path of Borini who drilled a low volley under goalkeeper Vladimir Bushma to score