IT was the perfect end to a glorious trip. Liverpool signed off their Far East tour in the best possible fashion with the first win of their pre-season programme.
The Singapore national team were put to the sword and the 50,000 who packed into the National Stadium loved every minute of it.
Rafael Benitez and his squad headed straight for Changi Airport to embark on the 7,000 mile journey home last night safe in the knowledge that they have given their legions of Asian fans memories they will cherish forever.
This tour has served to underline the extraordinary passion which exists for the club in this part of the world.
In Thailand, Liverpool weren’t able to produce a performance worthy of the fanatical backing they received.
But yesterday they finally found their shooting boots with a ruthless second half display to provide the perfect boost to their summer preparations.
It’s unlikely the Merlion Cup will take pride of place on Jamie Carragher’s mantelpiece but supporters will be hoping the sight of the stand-in skipper getting his hands on silverware is a sign of things to come this season.
Andriy Vororin broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time and after the break it was one-way traffic.
Albert Riera and Krisztian Nemeth made it 3-0 before Fernando Torres’s close range finish brought the biggest cheer of the night.
There was still time for Nemeth to grab his second and the margin of victory could have been even greater.
The National Stadium was rocking hours before kick-off as Singaporeans turned the ground into a sea of red.
It was Liverpool’s first appearance here for eight years and they were determined to make the most of it.
They went through the full repertoire of Anfield songs and by the time kick-off arrived the atmosphere was almost as hot as the evening sun.
Liverpool had scored just once in their opening three friendlies against St Gallen, Rapid Vienna and Thailand, and Benitez looked to Voronin and David Ngog to provide some firepower.
And unsurprisingly against a team ranked 127th in the world, they dominated from the very start.
LIverpool almost took the lead after just six minutes as Yossi Benayoun embarked on a mazy run through the inside before releasing Ngog down the right flank.
His cross picked out Ryan Babel but the Dutchman’s header lacked the power to beat Hassan Sunny.
