Liverpool suffered defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Audi Cup final after losing on penalties to the La Liga side.
In a low-quality affair, Liverpool struggled to make any sort of impact for large periods of the match but snatched a 1-1 draw at the death.
Danny Ward made a brilliant save from a close-range effort from Angel Correa but 19-year-old Keidi Bare followed it up with a header to give the La Liga side the lead.
The Reds were handed a lifeline courtesy of a dubious penalty after Divock Origi took a tumble, which Roberto Firmino duly converted.
But Jordan Henderson’s penalty miss saw them ultimately come up short in their final pre-season clash.
It was a far cry from Liverpool’s 3-0 win against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, although their team was much changed.
Here are the main talking points:
Star man
Angel Correa.
The Argentine was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when his shot was well saved by Ward ahead of the first goal but he was generally a threat and looks tidy on the ball.
He’s also got a trick or two up his sleeve and Ragnar Klavan picked up a yellow card for hacking him down midway through the second half.
Failed to impress
Joe Gomez.
It was a shoddy performance from the 20-year-old at centre-back.
The 20-year-old has had his injury problems in recent times but he doesn’t look ready to be involved from the off at the start of the Premier League season.
Biggest error
Gomez’s defensive partner Ragnar Klavan didn’t fare much better and his ball watching for Atletico’s opener was simply appalling.
After a brilliant save from Ward, the Estonian failed to react and allowed Bare to nod the ball home.
So, so poor.
What surprised us
How lacklustre Liverpool were.
After such an impressive display against Bayern Munich from the first teamers, one might expect the second string outfit to really give it their all to make a case for their inclusion in the starting XI for the Reds first Premier League match against Watford.
None of the fringe players impressed and it will certainly make Klopp’s life easier.
What didn’t surprise us
Atletico’s organisation.
This was by no means Diego Simeone’s strongest line-up but as always his team was incredibly well disciplined.
Antoine Griezmann was left on the bench for the first hour of the match but they kept resolute without their star man.
They will be a force to be reckoned with once again next season, despite giving away a late penalty.
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