Analysis from Stephen Killen after the Liverpool Legends clash with Ajax on Sunday at Anfield
If at first you don’t succeed; try, try and try again – for Fernando Torres it was the motto of the day as he toiled to mark a goalscoring return to Anfield as Liverpool beat Ajax 4-2.
It was heading towards a frustrating, goalless return to Merseyside for El Nino as he was constantly denied by the Dutch visitors. But he got the goal both, he and the Anfield crowd were desperate for in the dying embers, completing a second-half comeback on an emotional afternoon for Sven-Goran Eriksson.
After his untimely departure 13 years ago, sour memories of his move to Chelsea have disappeared with the striker the main attraction alongside Steven Gerrard.
The pair received the biggest roar from the record-breaking Anfield crowd during the warm-ups, each goal in the shooting drills being celebrated by those in attendance, before they received a rapturous response after their names were called out prior to kick-off.
LFC Foundation pulled out all the stops to bring back some of the stars of the late 2000s as Gerrard captained the Reds – lining up alongside the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Sami Hyypia, Djibril Cisse and Jerzy Dudek. But it wasn’t the start that Liverpool were after.
And they found themselves behind in the early stages as Derk Boerrigter converted from close-range before Kiki Musampa doubled the lead for David Endt’s side on the stroke of half-time.
Before kick-off, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp met the former England boss for the first-time after receiving the honour of becoming the Reds Legends manager against Ajax. The pair exchanged words, describing one another as “legends” in a warm embrace between the two.
Whatever power Klopp has over Anfield remains to be seen but the Swede’s half-time changes will be ones that the departing German will admire as the encounter was turned on its head.
Gregory Vignal, who replaced the injured Fabio Aurelio, fired low into the bottom corner from the edge of the box before Cisse rose highest to head past Lobont. The striker-turned-DJ then battled to retain possession of the ball and subsequently threaded Nabil El Zhar through – who thundered home.
The Moroccan, with Torres in support, opted against giving the Spaniard a dream return to Merseyside as he selfishly went alone to beat the despairing Romanian shot-stopper. El Nino got his crowning moment though, sliding home from Mark Gonzalez’s cross.
There was still enough energy in his legs to wheel off an iconic knee slide in front of the Kop as his Liverpool teammates swarmed him with Gerrard among the first there.
In another landmark day for the LFC Foundation, Torres felt the ecstasy of scoring for Liverpool – as he did 81 times before – and Eriksson was allowed to live a lifelong dream of standing in the home dugout at Anfield.
This Reds win over the Dutch giants really had it all.