Liverpool 3 Bayer Leverkusen 1: Carroll shows his worth by rounding off tidy win

Andy Carroll provided Brendan Rodgers with a reminder of his talent as Liverpool ended their pre-season programme with the most comfortable of victories.

The England striker, whose future has been the subject of huge speculation this summer, came on as a second half substitute and made a significant contribution with a 20-yard left-footed drive in the 66th minute that put Liverpool 3-0 up in front of the Kop.
Though Sidney Sam pulled one back for Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool were never in any danger from the moment the impressive Raheem Sterling opened the scoring with an exquisite curling shot early in the first half and Lucas Leiva doubled the tally when tapping into an empty net shortly after.

Still don't want me? Andy Carroll fired home the third goal

Home again: Sami Hyypia returned to Anfield as Bayer Leverkusen manager

 

With Newcastle and West Ham United still pursing Carroll, many will wonder whether this will prove to be his final goal at Anfield but Rodgers, who has insisted he would be more than happy for the 23-year-old to fight for his future, was delighted to see him score.

‘It was a terrific goal from Big Andy,’ said Rodgers, whose side will open the new Barclays Premier League campaign with a trip to West Brom next Saturday. ‘It was a clever move and a lovely piece of play from Charlie Adam, who would have been expecting a pass back, to set Andy in.
‘The big guy has had stick that he cannot play this way but he let it go through his legs well and he tucked it away nicely. I thought the players were excellent and showed great determination. We will arrive next week with a clean bill of health.’

Back in business: Lucas Leiva celebrates his strike

Young gun: Raheem Sterling opened the scoring

New signing Joe Allen could not make his Anfield bow after Swansea refused to give him dispensation to play. The Wales midfielder joined Liverpool after Friday’s 5pm deadline but he could have featured against the Germans had Swansea given him the green light.
As a result, Allen’s only action before the big kick-off will come in Llanelli in midweek, when Wales tackle Bosnia in a friendly. There had been questions over whether Allen would feature in that game but Rodgers is happy for him to travel.
‘We wanted Joe to play here but he could not,’ said Rodgers. ‘So 45-60 minutes in midweek will not hurt him. I have spoken to all the managers, like Roy (Hodgson) and Morten Olsen. To be fair, they all know where we are at (with our players) this moment in time.’

Up and over: Carroll heads over the bar

The game saw Sami Hyypia return to Anfield for the first time in a competitive guise since he brought his distinguished 10-year career to an end in 2009 and while Leverkusen’s manager was thrilled with the reception he received, he was less thrilled with his side’s performance.
‘I came here to win the game so from defeat you cannot take that much self-confidence from the game,’ said Hyypia, who won 10 major honours during his time on Merseyside. ‘But Liverpool played very well. They have a new system which is difficult to play against.
‘Time will tell but I hope they can challenge for the top four. As long the style is working, every style is okay. At the end of the day, winning is all that matters. I am just grateful I had the chance to come back here.’