Football
2017 Premier League Asia Trophy, Semifinals
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ESPN staff 7y

Liverpool reach Premier League Asia Trophy final with Palace win

HONG KONG -- Dominic Solanke scored his first goal as a Liverpool player to help them reach the final of the Premier League Asia Trophy in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Solanke scored an excellent long-range effort in the 61st minute to open his goal-scoring account for Liverpool before Divock Origi later added the second.

The 19-year-old left Chelsea this summer after his contract expired and a Premier League tribunal will determine how much Liverpool pay for the England Under-20 World Cup winner.

Jurgen Klopp's side will face Leicester City on Saturday at the conclusion of the preseason tournament in Hong Kong.

Their preparations for the friendly were severely disrupted due to the extreme weather in Hong Kong over the past few days, which had forced Liverpool to train indoors on multiple occasions.

But the torrential rain stayed away on Wednesday, with the temperature around 30 degrees Celsius and a humidity level of around 80 percent.

In front of a sell-out, 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium, with the majority of spectators present to watch Liverpool after their decade-long absence, the opening 45 minutes were fairly uneventful.

Mohamed Salah, making his second appearance for the club, excited the crowd most, with his blistering speed causing real problems for the Palace defence.

Late in the first half, Scott Dann happily accepted a yellow card after he hauled back the Egypt international when he was beaten for pace.

The first chance of the match, however, fell to Palace as Keshi Anderson forced a good save from Simon Mignolet, while at the other end, Sturridge was then denied by Wayne Hennessey's firm hand.

Klopp made 10 changes at the break, with only Mignolet staying put from the first half, and Solanke made the most of his opportunity by swiftly turning and then sending a powerful effort beyond Hennessey in the Palace goal just after the hour mark.

Liverpool made it 2-0 with 78 minutes on the clock when Origi fired home from six yards out after the ball fell right into his path following Philippe Coutinho's deflected shot.

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