Gerrard Injured As Liverpool Tune Up for European Start

Liverpool stretched their increasingly impressive unbeaten pre-season run to seven games in Oslo - but in doing so they suffered the worrying loss of their captain Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard limped off in the first half of a comfortable victory with what looked like a recurrence of the groin problem that has dogged him in recent weeks. Liverpool hope they took him out of the action before any further serious damage could be done but, with a Champions League qualifier against Standard Liège in a week's time, this is a problem the manager Rafael Benítez could do without.

Benítez also saw players he may have to sell soon - Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun - score outstanding goals. Both could be used to raise the cash to buy Gareth Barry. Roma are interested in Benayoun and Arsenal are being linked with Alonso, but both made it clear with their performances they do not want to leave Anfield.

Liverpool's starting line-up was as close to that expected for the trip to Belgium as Benítez could manage, with only the goalkeeper José Reina missing. But it was Alonso who stole the show with a 20th-minute cracker to put Liverpool ahead. Benayoun was involved in the build-up before Robbie Keane's flick gave Alonso the chance to curl home from 25 yards.

The loss of Gerrard after 27 minutes was a worrying blow. After bursting from defence he pulled up with what seemed a recurrence of the injury that has disrupted his pre-season. The teenager Jay Spearing took over.

Liverpool lost their way for a while, with Valerenga's Serbian striker Bojan Zajic twice going close from long range but the home side's Adrian Reid then headed against his own post. Reina and Sami Hyypia came on at the break for Liverpool but two minutes after the restart a neat back-heel set-up Zajic for a clinical finish from 10 yards.

Liverpool responded within two minutes when Fernando Torres burst into the box past a couple of defenders to side-foot home and restore the lead. On the hour Benayoun, who has worked hard to impress in pre-season to underline his desire to stay at Anfield, scored a high-quality goal. He took a flick from Torres to glide past three defenders before chipping the goalkeeper with his left foot.

Liverpool then sent on several youngsters and one of them, the French striker David Ngog, soon scored his second goal in as many games as Liverpool made it eight in their last two friendlies, having put four past Rangers at the weekend. PA