Amoo Strikes In Derby Triumph For Liverpool XI

A Liverpool XI maintained their impressive pre-season form with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night.

The John McMahon managed side created the better chances throughout the match and deservedly took the spoils courtesy of an own goal from David McNamara and a clinical finish from David Amoo. 
The Reds had arrived at Prenton Park having already secured a Senior Cup double this summer and, with as many as seven players returning from first-team duty, they kicked off the contest in buoyant mood.
However, it was the home side who were first to threaten as Adam McGurk fizzed in a shot that Dean Bouzanis was forced to save inside 60 seconds.
The visitors responded and a marauding run from Amoo saw the winger surge from within his own penalty area before teeing up Nikola Saric 20 yards out, but the striker saw his attempted strike well blocked by a Rovers defender.
There was a vibrant style to Liverpool's attacking play in the early stages and on 12 minutes they put together a sublime move that should have resulted in the opening goal. A sensational pass from Suso allowed Tom Ince to power down the left and deliver a sublime cross that Saric seemed all-set to guide home, only to misjudge the flight of the ball at the last second.
It was a miss that was followed by a lull in the proceedings until Max Power drilled a shot straight at Bouzanis after a neat exchange with Ryan Fraughan on the half hour mark.
Back up the other end and a long throw caught the Rovers backline at sixes and sevens, allowing Ince to race through and crash a volley over the top from a tight angle.
Fraughan then lashed a 20 yard strike inches past the post before Saric saw his flicked header cleared off the line as the first 45 ended with a flurry of chances.
McMahon's half-time team talk would no doubt have seen him urge his charges to regain the composure that had seen them exert their authority in the early stages of the contest.
The introduction of flamboyant Portuguese star, Toni Silva was a sign of the coach's intent and the teenager could well have been celebrating the opening goal himself, had McNamara not stabbed Amoo's low cross into his own net soon after the restart.
It was an early blow for the hosts but they should have levelled immediately when Jay Gibbs contrived to guide a free header from a right-wing corner way off target.
It would be as close as they would come to threatening an upset as Liverpool stepped up a gear and started to play the more controlled football.
Silva almost doubled the advantage with a blockbusting strike that Joe Collister was pleased to see crash into his midriff, before the away side put together an incisive move that put them firmly in control.
Another great piece of vision from Suso sent Ince clear and when the winger unselfishly crossed for Amoo, the forward had the simplest task of slipping a first-time shot past Collister.
At this point the Reds were well in ascendancy and Collister had to be at his best to beat away substitute Alex Cooper's venomous long range strike.
To their credit, Tranmere kept plugging away and almost reduced the arrears on 70 minutes when McGurk flashed an effort wide of Bouzanis' far post.
But it was Liverpool's day and Suso could have capped a fine showing with a spectacular drive that came within a whisker of nestling in the left-hand corner of Collister's net.
Liverpool XI: Dean Bouzanis, John Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Victor Palsson (Alex Cooper 46), Andre Wisdom (c) (Conor Coady 60), Daniel Ayala, David Amoo (Michael Ngoo 77), Steven Irwin, Nikola Saric (Toni Silva 46), Suso, Tom Ince (Gerardo Bruna 70). Unused subs: Deale Chamberlain.