When information from Liverpool camp was confirmed, Darwin Nunez's truth comes to light
Jordan Henderson was prodded by his highly delighted team members to almost sheepishly perform his signature shuffle before triumphantly hoisting the trophy.
But even though the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy will soon be forgotten among the many more illustrious awards received in previous years, it did at least offer concrete evidence that Liverpool's preseason preparations are starting to click.
At the Singapore National Stadium on Friday, goals from Henderson and Mohamed Salah were enough to secure a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in front of a happy crowd.
Harvey Elliott was impressive and Mohamed Salah was smart against Crystal Palace, according to Liverpool player evaluations.
The overall performance - against an admittedly depleted Palace - will have soothed any anxieties among the fanbase, even though it didn't quite erase the memory of the chastening defeat to Manchester United in Bangkok three days earlier.
Bangkok training for Liverpool
In preparation for a friendly match against Manchester United, Liverpool trains in Bangkok.
Not that the events in Thailand had really disturbed Jurgen Klopp. Nevertheless, this was a positive move, a fresh start, and more significantly, additional proof of development from a number of people. The only drawback was seeing the unfortunate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain walk off the field with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
Harvey Elliott stood out as compared to United, and each game improved his case for participation once the real action starts.
Darwin Nunez was the next.
In an effort to gain possession, the summer signing knocked over Palace defenders three times, the last of which left Joachim Andersen sprawled on the ground. His desperation to impress was almost painfully apparent at times.
Following his debut at halftime, Nunez hurriedly missed his attempt and twice saw his shots stopped by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
When that initial objective finally materializes, he'll surely feel more at ease. Additionally, during his half-hour performance, it was clear that his new teammates are still figuring out how to play with him; Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Carvalho, and Naby Keita all made unsuccessful throughball attempts. not yet, at least.
But because Diogo Jota is hampered, he may not make it, the pressure may be increasing on Nunez to hit the ground running.
With around 90% of those in the 50,217 crowd supporting Liverpool, this felt more like a home game than a match thousands of miles from Anfield. Certainly, the locals knew their Kop songbook and showed their appreciation whenever their heroes, in particular Klopp and Salah, were shown on the big screens inside the impressive arena, the roof of which again remained closed. As in Bangkok, the prices of tickets were pretty steep, starting at almost £90 for the cheapest.
And those how had handed over their hard-earned had to wait only 12 minutes to see Liverpool edge ahead with their first goal of pre-season.
It was a well-worked one, too. After a corner was cleared back to Liverpool, James Milner dropped a diagonal ball to the right over Joel Matip and into the path of Elliott. The youngster then progressed to the byline and pulled the ball back for the arriving Henderson, who shot first-time into the far corner to the right over Joel Matip and into the path of Elliott. The youngster then progressed to the byline and pulled the ball back for the arriving Henderson, who shot first-time into the far corner.
Elliott later shot wide, while his veteran teammate Milner delighted in playing as a makeshift right-back, not least when laughing with Palace manager Patrick Vieira while waiting to take a throw-in. It was fitting that Elliott and Milner were involved in the opening goal given that they were the standout players in the first-half team.
Liverpool knocked the ball around confidently while holding their own in what was an unexpectedly fierce, competitive match, supporting rumors from within the club that the intensity in training had increased since the setback to United.
Starting on the right wing, Oxlade-Chamberlain found his groove and fired one shot just before halftime that went wide. But when he did, he pulled a hamstring and sulkily left the tunnel.
The loss of another player highlights how the burden of preseason is always dangerous, with Joe Gomez and Alisson Becker having already joined Jota on the sidelines.
Salah scored Liverpool's second goal directly following halftime after being found by a flick from Alexander-Arnold - and how dangerous that partnership seemed at times for Palace - and used a deflection to put the supporters in their place.
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