Liverpool see ‘only positives’ at Hong Kong Football Festival despite loss to AC Milan
Virgil van Dijk hails ‘fantastic’ Kai Tak Stadium and coach Arne Slot grateful for ‘so much support and love’ after satisfying visit to city
Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk both gave Hong Kong the seal of approval as a pre-season destination, although there were more grumbles about the Kai Tak Stadium pitch after AC Milan beat Premier League champions Liverpool 4-2 on Saturday night.
The friendly clash attracted a record stadium attendance of 49,704, two days after more than 27,000 watched a Liverpool open training session.
Liverpool head coach Slot said there had “only been positives, apart from result” from the club’s six-day stay.
“We worked really well, most of the players stayed fit and we’ve had a lot of help and support,” Slot said.
His captain Van Dijk was effusive about the city, but he reiterated his concerns over the playing surface at what he called a “fantastic stadium”.
The overwhelming majority of a noisy, excitable crowd were briefly silenced when Rafael Leao crashed a rising drive past Alisson Becker to give Milan a 10th-minute lead.