Liverpool put on a show for an expectant sell-out crowd in Columbia, South Carolina and thrashed bitter English rivals Manchester United after goals from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas.
It completes a clean sweep for Arne Slot on the three-game tour of the United States after also beating Real Betis and Arsenal in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia respectively. The Dutchman heads home with a smile on his face.
He will be boosted by the returns of several key men this week, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez planned to report back to training in the coming days.
As for United, Erik ten Hag has a number of issues looming over the new season just a week before the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Here, Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele has a look at the talking points from Columbia.
Fabio Carvalho took just ten minutes to open the scoring for Liverpool against Man United
Marcus Rashford had several chances to equalise for United when they were only 1-0 down
Kostas Tsimikas put a seal on Liverpool's third win from three games on their pre-season tour
Carvalho staking his claim
Fabio Carvalho is one of many with an uncertain future at Liverpool after spending last season on loan at RB Leipzig and Hull City. But on the basis of his three matches on the tour of America, the Portugal-born star is certainly staking a claim to stick around.
The 21-year-old is understood to want to stay at Anfield and has held talks with new manager Slot over his best position. Carvalho thinks he is best in the No 10 role but Slot has told him he might be better served as a winger.
He has played all three Stateside friendlies on the left and has put in three solid performances, scoring in both of the Rivals in Red series against Arsenal and Manchester United. He keeps possession well and gets into dangerous areas.
There is a lot of interest in Carvalho for a permanent move this summer, with Premier League clubs and many on the continent keeping tabs, but after this pleasing tour there is no reason why he can’t break into Slot’s plans.
Carvalho has now scored two goals in as many games as he looks to impress boss Arne Slot
United kids are all right
Two youngsters started this match for United and both put in decent performances to give Ten Hag a reason to use them as part of his first-team plans this season, with Harry Amass and Toby Collyer playing well.
Amass has been one of the biggest success stories for the Red Devils on their tour of America and the young left back could have a genuine case to start next weekend’s Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley.
The left back, 17, joined United from Watford last summer after being scouted for some time. He is a powerful, quick defender who is calm in possession and has mature positioning despite his lack of top-level experience.
Amass was given the biggest test of his young career in this friendly when faced with the formidable force of Mohamed Salah. It would be unfair to criticise the youngster for losing a few duels to Salah as many experienced left backs have done the same.
But overall, he put in a good shift. Elsewhere, Collyer was a constant source of energy in midfield and covered a lot of ground. He can perhaps improve in his off-the-ball work but the 20-year-old is another bright prospect.
Ethan Wheatley also came on. He said last week: ‘The club, its history is of bringing through loads of academy players. And the likes of Kobbie (Mainoo), playing with us less than a year ago and breaking into the first team, inspires us and motivates us. The pathway is there.’
Toby Collyer started the match well, driving at Liverpool's defence on numerous occasions
Harry Amass (left) once again put in a solid display at left-back for Erik ten Hag's Man United
Gravenberch set for better season?
Ryan Gravenberch had a stop-start first year in England and never nailed down a spot in starting XIs, especially for big games. But the Dutchman could be one to thrive under compatriot Slot.
This was his first outing of the new era and he put in a pleasing shift in a deeper-lying midfield role. He constantly wanted to get on the ball, drove forward and pressed with an intensity that belied his lack of fitness.
Gravenberch was coached by Johnny Heitinga at Ajax and he would have been pleased to see the former Everton defender appointed as one of Slot’s backroom team. One of Heitinga’s roles is to put on individual sessions for players.
It would be a surprise if Gravenberch, 22, was not one on the long list of players Slot and his staff have earmarked for improvement. The midfielder certainly has room to get better and could be one to watch this season, especially as he seems well-suited for Slot’s system.
Ryan Gravenberch (left) started in a deeper role than he used to play while under Jurgen Klopp
Ten Hag’s No 9 problems
There was a glaring problem for United here and that was the slow and disorganised defence. But another worrying trend was the lack of a No 9, with Jadon Sancho leading the line for most of the match.
Rasmus Hojlund has been ruled out for about six weeks with an injury and new signing Joshua Zirkzee, the Dutchman who signed from Bologna earlier this summer, has not joined up with his new team in the United States.
It left Sancho, a winger by trade, as the sole striker from the start here. He had some nice moments but, overall, it felt like he was a square peg in a round hole and he never really looked like a real danger.
Young striker Wheatley, of course, is an option for Ten Hag and he has been working closely with new coach Ruud van Nistelrooy. ‘He was probably one of the best strikers we’ve had at the club, as soon as he came in I’ve been trying to take tips off him,’ he said this week.
But one can’t help but think that United look undercooked in forward areas going into the new season.
Jadon Sancho started up top for United but struggled to have a real impact on the game
Columbia cashes in on England’s biggest rivalry
The city of Columbia, South Carolina, is worlds away from the bright lights and vibrancy of Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the most-recent bases for these teams. The 78,000-seater Williams-Brice Stadium could feasibly seat more than half of the city’s 139,000 population.
Predominantly used for college soccer and the home of the university team, Carolina Gamecocks, this was the first time a Premier League side has played here. The fact England’s two biggest clubs were in town is an excellent coup for the organisers.
Both clubs wanted to play here as it broke up the journey home, with both teams flying back to the north west of England straight after this match. The match also presented a huge financial incentive for the clubs, with tickets going for huge prices.
Columbia ranked 76th on a list compiled by Nielsen looking at which North American cities presented the best marketing opportunities so this was a leap into the unknown. The local economy in the capital of South Carolina was, though, set for an enormous financial boom.
The Williams-Brice Stadium put on a show as England's two biggest football clubs squared off
Hotels had averaged roughly $60 per night on Thursday and, by the weekend, that figure was around $1,000, while Uber drivers and restaurants saw opportunities to bump up their prices. It was suggested that people had travelled from all 50 US states to be at the fixture.
Those supporters would have been worried, then, when a torrential downpour drifted over the stadium around two hours before kick-off. Lightning bolts were seen almost by the minute and thunder crackled around the city.