Wigan Athletic vs Liverpool. Friendly Match.
DW Stadium.
Monday 18 July 2016 16:25, UK
Goals from Danny Ings and 16-year-old Ben Woodburn gave Liverpool a 2-0 friendly win over Wigan on Sunday.
After Philippe Coutinho had twice hit the woodwork in the first half, second-half sub Ings squeezed the ball home in the 71st minute to put the visitors ahead
The impressive Woodburn, who scored in the 5-0 win over Fleetwood earlier in the week, then calmly finished inside the area after being released by Ryan Kent with 15 minutes remaining.
It was Liverpool's third win out of three in pre-season, and they face Huddersfield next on Wednesday, before friendlies against Chelsea, AC Milan, Roma, Barcelona and Mainz ahead of the new Premier League season.
Coutinho returned to action having been given a longer summer break due to international participation, while Jurgen Klopp also started Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
It was Coutinho who came closest in the first half, hitting the bar from a well-worked free-kick from 20 yards early on.
He was denied by the woodwork again later on in the half, turning onto his left foot inside the area before unleashing a fierce drive past goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.
Wigan did not threaten much in the opening 45 minutes, but were nearly handed the lead through some uncertain goalkeeping from Loris Karius, who let the ball run under his foot inside the six-yard box, only for Sam Morsy to be denied by the new goalkeeper from Germany.
Klopp made nine changes at half-time, with only Karius and Joel Matip surviving, as the likes of Woodburn, Kent and Trent Alexander-Arnold were introduced.
Liverpool continued probing in the second half as Lucas Leiva forced a good save down low out of Nicholls, before Ings poked the ball a yard wide moments later.
Kent's quick feet gave him a yard inside the area later in the half, but his left-footed effort dropped just wide of the far post, before Liverpool broke the deadlock.
Picking up Lazar Markovic's deft ball inside the area, Ings squeezed the ball under the body of the onrushing Nicholls.
It was 2-0 minutes later through Woodburn, whose deft finish past Nicholls came thanks to a superb through ball from Kent as Wigan pushed up high.
Nicholls again denied Ings a second with five minutes remaining, but there was a slight worry for Klopp in final moments as the impressive Matip was brought off with an inconspicuous-looking injury.