Carroll nets in Reds win

Andy Carroll: Came off the bench to score Liverpool's third goal

Out-of-favour striker Andy Carroll capped a comfortable 3-1 victory for Liverpool over Bayer Leverkusen in their final pre-season friendly before they kick off their Premier League campaign.

It took just three minutes for the home side to break the deadlock at Anfield through youngster Raheem Sterling.

The 17-year-old latched on to an incisive ball from Jose Enrique down the left before cutting inside to curl a shot into the bottom corner past Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal.

Liverpool's second of the match came on the 29th minute from a free-kick won by Luis Suarez, who was brought down by Daniel Schwaab on the edge of the area.

The cleverly worked set-piece found Suarez unmarked in the area, who got the ball stuck under his feet before it was deflected into the path of Lucas Leiva, who side-footed home into an open goal from six yards out.

A goalkeeping blunder allowed Liverpool to get their third of the match on 65 minutes when substitute Carroll turned nicely on the ball before firing a routine shot from outside the area goalwards that Leno fumbled into the back of the net.

The visitors snatched a consolation through Gonzalo Castro on 75 minutes when he shrugged off Jamie Carragher and unleashed a fierce left-footed shot that sailed past Jose Reina in the Liverpool goal.