Hours before the game, the trains in Singapore were already packed with fans in Liverpool FC jerseys as they made their way to the Singapore Sports Hub to watch their beloved Reds take on English Premier League rivals Crystal Palace FC.

Liverpool have not been played a match in the Lion City since a 5-0 victory over Singapore back in 2009, prior to the reconstruction of the national stadium, and fans were clearly in the mood, singing and chanting all afternoon within the vicinity of the stadium in the lead up to the game.

  • Story of the match

Having used a whole raft of youth team players in Bangkok for their first pre-season friendly against Manchester United, manager Jurgen Klopp opted for a much more exciting line-up this time around. Stars such as Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and captain Jordan Henderson all started the game along with exciting talent Harvey Elliott, sporting his new number 19 shirt. The Crystal Palace side featured stars such as Jordan Ayew and Jean-Philippe Mateta, although it was former Liverpool man Nathaniel Clyne who received the loudest cheers, with an overwhelming majority of the 50,000 spectators being Reds fans.
 
Liverpool controlled the match from the get-go, seizing possession and rarely allowing Palace to get out of their half. Waves after waves of attacks drew cheers from the crowd, who launched into renditions of popular chants such as ‘Allez Allez Allez’ and ‘Si Senor’, while also bringing a local touch with the Kallang Wave. Elliott was in the thick of all the action, with many of the attacks coming through him on the right, and he would go on to create the first goal.
 
Played in behind the Palace backline, the youngster showed remarkable composure to cut the ball back for Henderson, who swept the ball into the far corner, drawing massive cheers from the crowd. Elliott could have doubled Liverpool’s lead, but sliced a half-volley wide with his weaker right foot, as the crowd grew louder and louder.
 
At half-time, Klopp opted to swap the entire Liverpool line-up, bringing on stars such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, as well as new signings Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho. Salah, playing on the right-hand side ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, threatened immediately, with Salah and Alexander Arnold quickly combining to play Nunez through, only for a desperate leg from the Palace defence to thwart the striker.
 
Liverpool fans were soon treated to what they most wanted to see. Salah, who recently signed a new long-term contract with the club, cut in from the right as he has done so many times for Liverpool and finished with aplomb on his magic left foot for the Reds’ second goal of the night, as Liverpool fans erupted.


Fabio Carvalho could have added a third, as he cut brilliantly onto his right foot and forced a splendid save from Palace goalkeeper Vincente Guaita, a stunning move which saw Salah applauding his new teammate. Palace rarely ventured out of their own half, and as the match neared its conclusion, both teams opted to rotate their line-ups to give the youths a short run-out. Killian Phillips stood out in particular, putting in an excellent shift for Palace, drawing high praise from manager Patrick Vieira after the match.
 
2-0 was the final scoreline of the night, with both sets of players making plenty of times to greet fans after the final whistle. Liverpool will return to Europe to complete their pre-season, with matches against RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg looming, while Palace will head to Australia, with their next match against Manchester United. A thrilling start to pre-season for both teams, with much to be pleased about.