| Liverpool kick-started their International Champions Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday evening.
In front of 36,170 passionate supporters for the second match of their United States pre-season tour, Raheem Sterling capitalised on a fortuitous deflection to fire the Reds ahead within five minutes.
Despite their best efforts, the Greek side could not muster a telling response, handing Brendan Rodgers' team a first clean sheet of the summer and three points in the section.
The manager had selected an intimidating team from kick-off, recalling the likes of Steven Gerrard, Sterling and Daniel Sturridge plus handing a maiden appearance for the club to summer recruit Lazar Markovic.
Anticipation was fervent before the action got underway and was ramped up further when the American national anthem was followed by a rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' that every Kopite in attendance contributed to with gusto.
A strong line-up wasted little time in gaining a foothold on proceedings, and it all started with the captain. He slid a precise pass into Sturridge on five minutes and when the No.15 sliced his attempted curler straight to Sterling, the young forward calmly directed past the reach of Balazs Megyeri and into the net for 1-0.
Seeking a rapid response, the Greek side regrouped and Gevorg Ghazaryan had time to shape a long-ranger toward the far corner after gliding along the left flank. Wide, though. Javier Saviola then almost caught the Reds from a short free-kick but was ruled offside.
Trademark trickery from Sturridge inside the right channel of the Olympiacos area carved a glorious opportunity for the striker and brought the contingent of Liverpool fans seated in the nearby stand to their feet. His eventual right-footed blast was off target, however.
Having previously irked Gerrard with what the skipper considered to be an act of simulation, Saviola was booked in the 35th minute for diving in the Reds' penalty box. Markovic's aim was too high when he looked to beat Megyeri after skipping between two tackles.
Superb recovery by Jose Enrique, utilising a last-ditch toe-poke, thwarted the lively Saviola, while Dimitrios Diamantakos skewed wide to the right when afforded a shooting sight before the break, leaving Rodgers' charges one up at half-time.
Joe Allen, Philippe Coutinho and Jack Robinson were introduced for the second period, replacing Emre Can, Markovic and Enrique respectively. But it was the opposition who threatened to register on the scoresheet next.
The dangerous Ghazaryan collected a sweeping delivery across to the left from substitute Alejandro Dominguez, shuffled into room at the corner of the area and crashed an effort over the head of Brad Jones and against the crossbar.
Olympiacos captain Avraam Papadopoulos took a rather more direct approach to goal as the hour mark approached, nipping around the outstretched leg of Coutinho and clipping from distance. But there was no major threat to Jones between the Liverpool posts.
Rickie Lambert entered the fray with little over a quarter of an hour remaining and required mere seconds to work Megyeri with a bouncing hit from 20 yards out, although the 'keeper was comfortable in making the stop. Coutinho struck narrowly wide moments later as the Reds searched for a lead extender.
Ultimately, they did not need it, holding off a late rally from the Greeks to maintain the slender advantage and begin their participation in the tournament with a win.
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