Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino on target as Reds step up preparations for Premier League return; watch Everton vs Liverpool on June 21 live on Sky Sports and free-to-air on Sky Pick
Friday 12 June 2020 10:58, UK
Liverpool ramped up their preparations for the return of the Premier League with a 6-0 friendly victory over Blackburn behind closed doors at Anfield.
Sadio Mane fired the Premier League leaders in front inside 10 minutes, converting a rebound after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a shot saved.
Takumi Minamino laid on the second for Naby Keita before the January signing got in on the act himself, turning Mane's cross home before half-time.
Second-half goals from Joel Matip, Ki-Jana Hoever and Leighton Clarkson then completed the resounding victory for the Reds.
Liverpool's first fixture for the Premier League restart will be the Merseyside derby at Everton on Sunday, June 21, live on Sky Sports and Sky Pick. The match will kick-off at 7pm at Goodison Park and will be broadcast free-to-air.
Klopp's side, on the verge of the club's first domestic title in 30 years, will also be back in action on Wednesday, June 24, live on Sky Sports, when they take on Crystal Palace.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told the club's official website: "It was not only a workout; for us, it was a really important test.
"We wanted the players to go for 45 minutes [but] because of a few little issues we couldn't do that, so we didn't have enough 'first-team players', I would say, so that's why we decided to let three players go for 60 minutes.
"That's OK. It looked really good, obviously. It looked really good, pretty much from the beginning. You have to get used again to playing against a deep-defending side and stuff like this. Blackburn had a playing build-up from time to time, so we could work on the high press as well.
"So [the] counter-press was brilliant, the football was really good, the goals were nice and it was a really good afternoon. I am really thankful that Blackburn came here, and we could do that, so I wish them all the best."
Watch the highlights of Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Wednesday in a behind-closed-doors game at the Emirates...
