Pre-season: AC Milan secured a 4-2 win over Liverpool.

AC Milan secured a 4-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool in a pre-season friendly on Saturday evening.

The match took place at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Saturday evening. Following their 0-1 defeat to Arsenal in Singapore three days earlier, the Rossoneri bounced back with an impressive performance in Hong Kong.

Massimiliano Allegri’s team attacked from the outset. A defensive error by Liverpool in the fourth minute was exploited by Rafael Leão, who passed the ball to Samuele Ricci.

Ricci then sent a perfect pass to Christian Pulisic on the left flank. The American player immediately fired a shot, but it was blocked by Alisson Becker.

The Reds responded quickly in the sixth minute with a long-range shot from Dominik Szoboszlai, but Mike Maignan was quick to secure the ball.

A minute later, Milan threatened again through Leão. The Portuguese striker won a duel with two Liverpool defenders and then unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty box. However, the ball’s trajectory was too predictable for Alisson.

The opening goal finally came in the 11th minute, courtesy of a perfectly executed counter-attack. Pulisic spotted Leão’s movement and sent a through ball down the left flank.

Leão dribbled at breakneck speed, beating Virgil van Dijk in a one-on-one before unleashing a left-footed shot into the top right corner of the net. The ball ripped through the Liverpool net, beyond the reach of Alisson Becker. Milan took a 1–0 lead.

In the 20th minute, an emotional moment occurred as the entire stadium applauded in memory of the late Diogo Jota, the former Liverpool striker.

Liverpool finally equalised in the 26th minute. Starting with a pass from Ryan Gravenberch to the left, Nkunku dribbled and waited for his teammate to arrive.

He passed the ball to Szoboszlai, who was standing on the edge of the penalty area. The Hungarian midfielder then curled a shot into the top corner of the Milan goal with one touch, which Maignan couldn’t reach. The score was tied at 1–1.

Milan struck again at the start of the second half. In the 52^(nd) minute, the recently substituted Noah Okafor demonstrated his talent by initiating a swift counterattack.

He sent a pass to Rafael Leão, who raced down the left flank and played the ball back into the middle for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The English midfielder controlled the ball, rounded a Liverpool defender and calmly slotted it past Alisson. Milan regained the lead, making it 2-1.

Eight minutes later, Okafor got on the scoresheet. Leao played the creator’s role again with a backheel from midfield towards Alexis Saelemaekers.

The Belgian player advanced from the right and sent a pass into the centre. Okafor met it with a first-time shot into the right-hand side of the goal. It was 3-1 to Milan.

Trailing by two goals, Liverpool tried to respond with a number of substitutions.

Cody Gakpo finally managed to reduce the deficit in the 93rd minute by heading in Ibrahima Konate’s pass. The score became 3–2.

Okafor scored his second goal in the 90+4 minute, capitalising on an error by Kostas Tsimikas in passing to Giorgi Mamardashvili. AC Milan won 4-2. Liverpool