Football: Rodgers hails Roar's 'technical game'

Liverpool's Martin Skrtel, left, and Brendan Rodgers. Photo / AP.

It was a night that was all about Liverpool, but Brendan Rodgers has hailed Brisbane Roar for their "top-level technical game" in Friday night's glamour friendly.

The visiting English side won 2-1 in front of nearly 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium, with new recruit James Milner's second-half strike completing Liverpool's come-from-behind victory.

But the Roar looked on par with the rusty Reds for most of the night and only fell away in the second-half, when a mass of substitutions changed the game and Brisbane's legs started to give way.

Rodgers saw enough in the first half to believe the Roar are well on the right track after John Aloisi's fist game in charge.

"It's a real mark of Australian football, the improvements that they're making," Rodgers said.

"The structure you have in the federation... You see a top level technical game from your team.

"It's a good idea... 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, that will also breed a quality player able play that quality football."

There were only a spattering of orange shirts in the crowd as Brisbane, just for a night, were made to feel like outsiders at their own ground.

Stands at Lang Park were renamed for those at Anfield, while you would be forgiven for thinking you were there had you closed your eyes during the pre-match rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.

Unperturbed by the hype, the Roar took a shock lead 17 minutes in, when Brandon Borrello spotted Dimi Petratos loose in the box with plenty of space.

Petratos jinked past Martin Skrtel and then unleashed from near the penalty spot, his shot flashing past Liverpool gloveman Simon Mignolet.

But it didn't last long - nine minutes later, it was all square, as Adam Lallana showcased the gulf between the English top flight and the A-League with just a swivel of his hips.

All too easily, Lallana threw off the advances Roar defender Jack Hingert, and then found the top corner with a perfectly-weighted curling shot on goal.

Milner completed the comeback with his goal 15 minutes from time.

Surrounded by Brisbane defenders, Milner kept his cool, slid the ball through the legs of acting Roar captain Jade North and then scuffed a shot that found a deflection on its way past goalkeeper Jamie Young, who was one of Brisbane's best.

The result might have knocked the stuffing out of a gallant, stubborn Roar side, but Aloisi said there was plenty to take out of the night.

"There were periods there where we played from one side to another and we opened up the Liverpool team," Aloisi said.

"That's the confidence they need to take out of it - if we can do it against a European side like that, one of the best sides in the EPL, we should be able to do it against any A-League side."

-AAP