Encouraged by his greatly amused team-mates, Jordan Henderson almost sheepishly brought out his trademark shuffle before lifting the silverware triumphantly aloft.
But while the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy will soon be lost among the many more prestigious honours won in recent years, it at least provided tangible proof Liverpool’s pre-season preparations are gradually finding their groove.
Goals from Henderson and Mohamed Salah were enough to secure a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in front of a celebratory crowd at the Singapore National Stadium on Friday.
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While it didn’t quite banish the memory of the chastening reverse to Manchester United in Bangkok three days earlier, the overall performance – against an admittedly weakened Palace – will have calmed any nerves among the fanbase.
Not that Jurgen Klopp had been too perturbed by events in Thailand. Nevertheless, this was a welcome step in the right direction, a clean sheet and, more importantly, further evidence of progress from a number of individuals. The only negative was the sight of the unlucky Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limping off with a suspected hamstring complaint.
As against United, Harvey Elliott caught the eye, with each game strengthening his case for involvement when the real stuff begins in a few weeks. Fabio Carvalho, operating on the left flank this time, flitted with intent while Roberto Firmino continues to improve.
And then there was Darwin Nunez.
The summer signing’s desperation to impress was almost painfully evident at times, three times knocking over Palace defenders in an attempt to win possession, the latter of which left Joachim Andersen sprawling on the turf.
Nunez hurriedly missed his kick when an opportunity arose shortly after his half-time introduction and twice had efforts saved by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
He’ll undoubtedly relax more when that first goal eventually comes. And what was evident during his half-hour showing was how his new team-mates are still trying to find his wavelength – Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Carvalho and Naby Keita all attempted throughballs that didn’t quite connect. At least not yet.
But given the hamstrung Diogo Jota is in danger of missing the Premier League kick-off, the pressure may be increasing on Nunez to hit the ground running.
With around 90% of those in the 50,217 crowd supporting Liverpool, this felt more like a home game than a match thousands of miles from Anfield. Certainly, the locals knew their Kop songbook and showed their appreciation whenever their heroes, in particular Klopp and Salah, were shown on the big screens inside the impressive arena, the roof of which again remained closed. As in Bangkok, the prices of tickets were pretty steep, starting at almost £90 for the cheapest.
And those how had handed over their hard-earned had to wait only 12 minutes to see Liverpool edge ahead with their first goal of pre-season.
It was a well-worked one, too. After a corner was cleared back to Liverpool, James Milner dropped a diagonal ball to the right over Joel Matip and into the path of Elliott. The youngster then progressed to the byline and pulled the ball back for the arriving Henderson, who shot first-time into the far corner.
That Elliott and Milner were involved in the opener was apt given they were the leading performers in the first-half team, Elliott later wide with an effort while his veteran colleague revelled as a makeshift right-back, not least when joking with Palace boss Patrick Vieira when waiting to take a throw-in.
Suggestions from inside the camp that the intensity in training had been stepped up a notch after the defeat to United were on the mark as Liverpool knocked the ball around confidently while holding their own in what was a surprisingly feisty, competitive encounter.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, starting on the right wing, began to find some rhythm and flashed one shot wide shortly before half-time. But in doing so, he tweaked his hamstring and gloomily departed down the tunnel.
With Joe Gomez and Alisson Becker having already joined Jota on the sidelines, the loss of another player underlines how the workload of pre-season is always fraught with danger.
Salah gave the crowd what they had come to see by notching Liverpool’s second goal immediately after half-time when, after being found by a flick from Alexander-Arnold – and how frightening that pairing seemed at times for Palace – he shot home via the aid of a deflection.
And with the Londoners missing a host of first-team regulars, the Reds’ stronger second-half team were dominant before Klopp gave a clutch of youngsters a run-out in the final 15 minutes.
Liverpool now return to Merseyside and follow next Thursday’s friendly in Germany against RB Leipzig with a week-long training camp in Austria. The clock continues to tick.
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