Liverpool Legends 4-2 Ajax Legends: Reds turn it around in the second half

Liverpool Legends defeated an Ajax team 4-2 at Anfield, in a charity game which saw Sven-Goran Eriksson live out his dream to manage the Reds.

The Dutch visitors went two goals clear by half-time, courtesy of goals from Derk Boerrigter and Kiki Musampa.

However, Liverpool looked like a different team after the break, and completed a stunning second-half comeback, with goals coming from Gregory Vignal, Djibril Cisse, Nabil El Zhar and Fernando Torres.

The former England manager, who is a boyhood Liverpool fan, revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis in January, saying he has "at best, a year to live".

Eriksson was invited by Liverpool to take charge of their legends side for this game alongside a coaching staff of Ian Rush, John Aldridge and John Barnes - and was given a standing ovation by the Anfield crowd as he came out of the tunnel.

As 'You'll Never Walk Alone' rang out before kick-off, the 76-year-old cut an emotional figure while standing on the pitch next to former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who Eriksson managed while in charge of England.

The charity match between Liverpool Legends and Ajax Legends was to raise money for the LFC Foundation and Forever Reds.

Fernando Torres - who started up front with Gerrard for Liverpool - rounded off a memorable afternoon by scoring the fourth goal in a 4-2 comeback win for the Liverpool Legends.

Derk Boerrigter and Kiki Musampa gave the Ajax Legends a comfortable lead at the break but Liverpool scored three times in front of the Kop End, thanks to goals from Gregory Vignal, Djibril Cisse and Nabil El Zhar and Torres.

Pictures: Anfield salutes Eriksson

What happened in the match

Liverpool fell behind in the opening two minutes as Boerrigter tapped home - and the winger then set up the second before half-time by teeing up Musampa in the box, who fired past Jerzy Dudek.

The Reds were frustrated in the first half as Torres missed several chances, including seeing one shot cleared off the line. But Liverpool came back with a second half comeback.

Vignal drilled home from inside the box to pull one back, with the Frenchman running over to Eriksson to celebrate the goal with a hug, before Cisse then headed home Dirk Kuyt's cross to equalise.

A solo goal from El Zhar then gave Liverpool the lead but what the Anfield crowd really wanted was a Torres goal, in his first game back at Anfield in Liverpool colours since leaving the club in 2011.

That came just before full-time as Torres finished at the second attempt to seal the win.

But the day belonged to Eriksson, who led both sets of players in a round of applause around Anfield, with the entire 60,000-seater stadium on its feet to applaud the former England manager.