Liverpool far from pitch perfect as AC Milan triumph in Hong Kong

LIVERPOOL'S preseason tour of Asia kicked off with a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.

- By PAUL GORST

The Reds responded with a sublime Dominik Szoboszlai strike after the Italians had taken the lead through Rafa Leao, but two second-half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Noah Okafor gave the Rossoneri a commanding lead before Cody Gakpo grabbed a late header.

However, a mix-up between Kostas Tsimikas and new goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saw Milan profit and seal the victory that wraps up the Premier League champions' near week in Hong Kong.

Arne Slot and his players have moved on to Japan where they will meet Yokohama F Marinos at the Nissan Stadium.

Here are some interesting points from the first friendly in Hong Kong since 2017.

PITCH FRUSTRATIONS

Concerns over the state of the Kai Tak Stadium's pitch were shared long before kickoff.

One local described it as a “potato field” and it was noticeably unkempt during Thursday's open training session.