Rodgers: We showed good maturity

Goals from Joe Allen and Suso ensured a third straight victory for the Reds in the Guinness International Champions Cup, and they now look forward to a final with arch-rivals Manchester United in Miami on Monday night.

Reflecting on a good night's work from his side at the Bank of America Stadium, Rodgers told Liverpoolfc.com: "As we gain our fitness throughout the games I think it's clear you see the tactical development being introduced into the team.

"I thought our possession of the ball was very good tonight, we kept the ball and kept it moving, and then when we had to defend I thought we were really aggressive in our pressure and intensity, so overall I thought we had maturity in our game.

"We had a lot of young players playing and they did very well so it was an excellent win for us."

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For Allen's opening goal, it was the Welshman's tenacity to chase down his opponent that led to the mistake which led to his strike.

Pressuring opponents and closing down space is a key component of Liverpool's game, and the manager admitted he was delighted to see it work to perfection against the Serie A outfit.

He said: "It's key for us [pressurising the opposition]. You can't do it for the whole 90 minutes but we try to put pressure on our opponent and when teams play the ball out of their defence you get a chance to do that.

"Joe was outstanding. He won the ball, got himself in and was unlucky to hit the post but I thought his finish was outstanding because it was an awkward one and he took it really well."

The Northern Irishman was also keen to praise Suso for taking the manager's words in training on board that ultimately led to his second half strike.

He said: "For the second goal we had a spell of possession that was very good and it's also congratulations to young Suso because of some of the work we have been doing with him about his position and getting him higher up the pitch to win the ball.

"He won the ball, set up the attack, followed his pass and finished it really well.

"We could have maybe had three or four goals in the first half when we created some good chances but overall it was very pleasing."

The manager also had words of comfort for Rickie Lambert, who had a first half penalty saved as he searches for his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.

He added: "I spoke to Rickie and I said to him it's only important when it matters in the competition phase. He is obviously disappointed because he can't remember the last time he missed a penalty because he never missed one for Southampton in all the years he played there but he will be fine.

"Rickie will get goals for us, there's no doubt."

Looking ahead to the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup against Manchester United, he added: "I think the sponsors will be delighted because you have got two of the biggest clubs in the world coming to Miami and it should be a great final.

"They are obviously playing a different system with a new manager and we are team that is continually developing so we are looking forward to that."