Liverpool 4-0 Leicester: Player ratings as Reds romp to pre-season friendly victory

Liverpool strolled to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Leicester City in a pre-season friendly on Sunday at the Singapore National Stadium.

Both sides may be warming up for the coming campaign but the idea in possession from both was clear - and similar.

Leicester's new boss Enzo Maresca had picked up a few pointers from his time as one of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City assistants, sending Ricardo Pereira into an unfamiliar central position each time the Foxes had possession.

Trent Alexander-Arnold fulfilled the hybrid role for Liverpool in the final month of last season and looked far more comfortable. The ball-playing fullback was involved in the slick buildup play that slipped Diogo Jota into Leicester's box after an even opening 30 minutes. Mads Hermansen saved Jota's initial effort well but Darwin Nunez was there to snaffle up the rebound.

For all the benefits an inverted full-back offers in possession, they leave an unmistakable hole in their team's backline in transition. Mohamed Salah did not need any encouragement to ruthlessly exploit the gap Pereira vacated.

Within five minutes of Nunez's opener, Liverpool forced a turnover which swiftly put the ball at Salah's feet. As Pereira flailed in midfield, Jannik Vestergaard hesitantly stood off Liverpool's talisman, allowing Salah time and space to square for the academy product Bobby Clark to sweep in his side's second goal.

Barely 100 seconds had elapsed before Salah was on the ball again. This time Pereira was part of the backline but, perhaps bamboozled by his complex role, watched on from a distance as Salah arched a cross onto Jota's head for Liverpool's third goal of the first half.

Jurgen Klopp changed all ten of his outfielders during the interval while Maresca stuck with his starting XI to breed some familiarity before Leicester's Championship campaign begins next Sunday.

Despite the sweeping substitutions, Liverpool picked up from exactly where they left off after the interval. If anything, the fresh legs injected an extra vile of venom into Liverpool's press.

Leicester could only keep Liverpool at bay for 20 second-half minutes. Ben Doak, who quickly took up Salah's baton of torment against Pereira, stooped to head in Liverpool's fourth from a corner.

Klopp's side have scored 12 goals across their three pre-season games thus far and take that clinical edge into their friendly against Bayern Munich at the same ground on Wednesday afternoon.

Liverpool player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Caoimhin Kelleher - 7/10 - Quick to rush off his line behind his team's infamously high backline.

First-half outfielders

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8/10 - Scarcely broke a sweat in the sticky Singapore humidity, stroking the ball around with ease.

CB: Ibrahima Konate - 5/10 - Aggressive in his attempts to hurriedly retrieve possession - although to a fault at times.

CB: Virgil van Dijk - 7/10 - As solid and reassuring as ever.

LB: Andy Robertson - 6/10 - This system doesn't allow Robertson to show his potent attacking threat.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister - 8/10 - An ephemeral presence floating between the lines. Leicester couldn't spot Mac Allister but his teammates could.

CM: Curtis Jones - 7/10 - The England under-21 European champion constantly demanded possession as the deepest midfielder for the Reds.

AM: Diogo Jota - 7/10 - Drifting centrally and onto the left wing, Jota maintained his excellent scoring record against Leicester.

RW: Mohamed Salah - 8/10 - Liverpool's perennial leading scorer showed his selfless side on Sunday with two assists.

ST: Darwin Nunez - 7/10 - In the right place a lot of the time.

LW: Bobby Clark - 6/10 - Gave Klopp plenty to think about in a push for first-team minutes next season.

Second-half outfielders

RB: Joe Gomez - 5/10 - Took on the captain's armband when he replaced Van Dijk at the interval.

CB: Joel Matip - 7/10 - Burst ahead of Wilfred Ndidi well to flick on the corner which Doak headed in.

CB: Jarell Quansah - 7/10 - Made a brilliant block on a rare attack for Leicester in the second half.

LB: Kostas Tsimikas - 5/10 - Not entirely aware of his surroundings when he stepped into midfield - still getting used to the 360-vision the role requires.

CM: Harvey Elliott - 6/10 - Offered more feistiness than finesse in a dogged outing.

CM: James McConnell - 5/10 - Kept his minimal involvement free of frills.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 7/10 - The author of an audacious halfway-line effort which Hermansen just about hurried back to save.

RW: Ben Doak - 8/10 - Pereira must have breathed a sigh of relief when Salah didn't return for the second half. Doak ensured that the fullback was panting again.

ST: Cody Gakpo - 7/10 - The first to lead Liverpool's reinvigorated press.

LW: Luis Diaz - 7/10 - Sprinting around on fast forward while the Leicester backline lagged behind in real time.

Substitutes

Alisson (61' for Kelleher) - 5/10

Calum Scanlon (80' for Szoboszlai) - N/A

Melkamu Frauendorf (86' for Quansah) - N/A

Leicester player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Mads Hermansen - 6/10 - Denied Szoboszlai a goal from the centre circle with an acrobatic header.

RB: Timothy Castagne - 5/10 - Penned into his own defensive third for much of the contest.

CB: Callum Doyle - 4/10 - Stuck to his manager's instructions of playing out from the back - even in the face of Liverpool's fierce press.

CB: Jannik Vestergaard - 3/10 - The towering Dane doesn't look comfortable in many settings but was particularly uneasy in the Singapore National Stadium.

LB: Ricardo Pereira - 2/10 - Unsettled by his new position let alone Salah's menacing incision.

CM: Wilfred Ndidi - 4/10 - Swamped in midfield, Ndidi scarcely had time to breathe let along pick out a teammate.

CM: Harry Winks - 3/10 - 'Neat' and 'tidy' are the two words immediately and invariably associated with Winks but the former Tottenham midfielder's passing game was unusually unkempt.

AM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 4/10 - Failed to exert a significant influence on proceedings.

RW: Marc Albrighton - 5/10 - Chugged up and mainly back down the right flank dutifully.

ST: Patson Daka - 5/10 - Pierced Liverpool's high backline with multiple darts forward but lacked end product.

LW: Kasey McAteer - 6/10 - The brightest spark in an otherwise flat display from the Foxes.

Substitutes

Wanya Marcal-Madivadua (61' for Albrighton) - 5/10

Kelechi Iheanacho (72' for Daka) - 5/10

James Justin (72' for Castagne) - 5/10

Hamza Choudhury (76' for Winks) - N/A

Player of the match - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)