Carroll scores in Liverpool win

It took just three minutes for the home side to break the deadlock at Anfield through youngster Raheem Sterling. The 17-year-old latched on to an incisive ball from Jose Enrique down the left before cutting inside to curl a shot into the bottom corner past Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal.

Liverpool's second of the match came on the 29th minute from a free-kick won by Luis Suarez who was brought down by Daniel Schwaab on the edge of the area.

The cleverly worked set piece found Suarez unmarked in the area, who got the ball stuck under his feet before it was deflected into the path of Lucas who side-footed home into an open goal from six yards out.

A goalkeeping blunder allowed Liverpool to get its third of the match on 65 minutes when Carroll turned nicely on the ball before firing a routine shot from outside the area goalwards that Leno fumbled into the back of the net.

The visitor snatched a consolation through Gonzalo Castro on 75 minutes when he shrugged off Jamie Carragher and unleashed a fierce left-footed shot that sailed past Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal.