Tranmere 2 Liverpool 3

JURGEN Klopp's Liverpool overcame Tranmere in a pre-season friendly at Prenton Park on Tuesday evening, but didn't have it all their own way as Rovers staged a spirited second half comeback.

Rafa Camacho, Shey Ojo and Adam Lallana gave the Reds a comfortable half-time lead, but strikes from Johnny Smith and Amadou Soukouna after the break put the Whites right back in it and made the score line more respectable.

Micky Mellon handed Prenton Park debuts to striker Paul Mullin and fullback Jake Caprice, while Jurgen Klopp gave starts to big-money signings Naby Keita and Fabinho.

Liverpool, in their garish new purple kit, kicked off, attacked the Bebington Kop to a crescendo of: "Allez Allez Allez."

The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute when Shey Ojo showed terrific strength to roll Mark Ellis and cross for Camacho to side foot home.

A ball from Andy Robertson was blazed over the bar by Dominic Solanke on the quarter of an hour mark as the Reds threatened to double their lead.

As expected, Rovers were doing a fair bit of ball-chasing and they could do nothing to prevent Liverpool from extending their lead on 26 minutes when Ojo drifted past two defenders and slammed a low curling shot into the net.

Tranmere almost responded immediately when Ollie Banks whipped in a free kick for Mullin, but his header was off target.

The Premier League giants added a third half an hour in when Steve McNulty was caught over playing in his own area and Lallana was on hand to slot home.

Both teams made a ruck of changes at half-time, but it didn't initially affect the flow of the match as Klopp's charges continued to dominate.

A cross from James Milner was headed just over by Joe Gomez at the Cow Shed end, as Liverpool tried to increase their tally.

Divock Origi was looking to impress on his return to the Anfield fold but his wild shot into the stands would have done little to impress Klopp.

And the Liverpool manager won't have been too chuffed with his goalkeeper Loris Karius after he was at fault for Tranmere's first goal.

Still recovering from his high-profile gaffs in the Champions League final, the Liverpool stopper couldn't handle Ollie Norburn's fiercely struck free kick allowing Smith to score an easy rebound in his first game for the club.

The Merseyside giants went off the boil and soon conceded a second.

This time Pedro Chirivella gifted the ball to Soukouna who calmly slotted it past Karius.

Liverpool came back again but Curtis Jones could only find the side netting and that's how it ended.

Mellon will have been satisfied that his players gave such a good account of themselves against the European Cup finalsts, as they gear up for life back in the Football League.