Reds go down to friendly defeat

Lee McCulloch bagged the only goal of the game with 20 minutes on the clock, turning home a loose ball from close range after the Reds had failed to deal with a corner.

Rangers also struck the woodwork twice in the second period and although Liverpool will be disappointed with the outcome of the contest at Ibrox, Dalglish will be pleased to see the majority of his squad get a good work out under their belts ahead of the weekend visit of Norwich City.

In the build up to the game, the manager vowed to name a strong squad for the trip south of the border - and he remained true to his word as the likes of Lucas Leiva, Andy Carroll, Sebastian Coates and Craig Bellamy all started in Glasgow.

There were also places on the teamsheet for fit-again trio Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio, while former Rangers defender Danny Wilson began with Charlie Adam on the bench.

Prior to kick-off, fans of both clubs took to the field to parade a banner in memory of those who lost their lives in the Hillsborough and Ibrox stadium disasters, while a collection was set up with half of the total funds raised going towards the Hillsborough Family Support Group.

Dalglish had outlined how he intended to use the fixture as a way of providing his squad with an authentic taste of European football in the absence of continental competition at Anfield this season - and Liverpool could have made the perfect start inside 90 seconds.

Maxi's angled pass over the top reached Carroll on the left corner of the box, but his volleyed attempt on the stride failed to trouble Allan McGregor.

Click on the play button below to watch the best of the action

But the hosts should have opened the scoring on 10 minutes as Juan Ortiz sprung Liverpool's offside trap, but his cutback into the six-yard box was scrambled behind for a corner by the visiting defence.

The host's Spanish winger then drilled low into the grasp of Alexander Doni after collecting possession on the corner of the box.

Doni was called into action again on the 20-minute mark, producing a fine low stop to turn Steven Whittaker's shot around the base of the post.

However, the resulting corner manufactured an opening goal for the Gers when McCulloch pounced on a loose ball inside the box, with his scuffed effort squirming beneath the legs of Aurelio on the line.

Rangers were by now in the ascendancy and Liverpool required a good save from Doni to thwart Matt McKay after the wide man was allowed to meet Lee Wallace's centre with a free header.

Next, Steve Davis's run from deep allowed him to bypass the Reds' back four to reach a long ball forward, but his attempted hook over Doni landed on the top of the net.

Liverpool had failed to really test McGregor - although a fine move involving Johnson and Maxi almost resulted in the latter hitting the target, but Kirk Broadfoot was able to produce a block to ensure Rangers went into the interval holding their one-goal advantage.

An improved second-half showing would have been the order of the day from Dalglish in the dressing room during the interval - and a Bellamy shot on the turn narrowly evaded the upright in the opening stages of the second period.

But Rangers thought they had made it 2-0 on 55 minutes. Alejandro Bedoya teed up substitute Kyle Lafferty six yards out, and the striker's effort cannoned against the post before Doni managed to prevent the ball crossing the line when a goal appeared inevitable.

The Brazilian stopper injured himself in the process, however, and was replaced by Martin Hansen.

Next, Maxi dispossessed Broadfoot 25 yards from goal and surged into the box, but his attempted cutback for Carroll was well read by the Rangers rearguard.

With 25 minutes remaining, Liverpool introduced Adam, Dirk Kuyt, Stewart Downing and Jon Flanagan into the action. 

But back came Rangers and Lafferty was again causing problems, this time curling an effort onto the top of the crossbar from the edge of the box before veteran centre-back David Weir went close with a volley.

As the game edged towards its conclusion, Carroll was centimetres away from a goal with a powerful header from Adam's corner prior to Downing's low strike drawing a near-post stop from McGregor.

The changes had made the desired impact and Carroll thought he had won a penalty in the dying stages when he went down under the challenge of McGregor, but referee Willie Collum pointed for a goal kick as the hosts held out to claim a win.

Liverpoolfc.tv man of the match: Alexander Doni