Diouf ensures Liverpool remain unbeaten

Wolfsburg 1 Liverpool 1

Senegalese striker El-Hadji Diouf ensured Liverpool’s pre-season unbeaten run continued as they drew 1-1 with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in Horgen tonight.

But the Premiership side were forced to come from behind after conceding an early goal against a side which only finished 10th in the German league last season.

Wolfsburg caught Jerzy Dudek unawares to grab the opening goal in spectacular fashion after just three minutes.

Midfielder Robson Ponte spotted a chance from 35-yards out and blasted home past the stunned Liverpool goalkeeper.

Michael Owen, making his first pre-season appearance, had Liverpool’s best chance of the opening spell but after excellent work from Diouf, Markus Babbel and Nick Barmby, the England striker scuffed his shot wide.

On 18 minutes Babbel, looking to continue his return to match fitness after missing most of last season, came close to grabbing the equaliser but his header from Barmby’s free-kick sailed just past the woodwork.

And the defender was in the thick of the action again just after the half-hour when he went close with another header before a powerful run by Patrik Berger saw him cut inside and unleash a fierce strike which flew straight at the keeper.

Then six minutes from the break Liverpool drew level as Diouf, who had come close only moments earlier, rose above the Wolfsburg defence and smartly headed home from a well-weighted Bernard Diomede corner.

Liverpool made wholesale changes at half-time with only Diomede and Djimi Traore returning to the fray after the break.

Traore made his presence felt with a two-footed challenge on Diego Klimowicz in the 49th minute which earned the defender a yellow card and forced the Wolfsburg striker from the pitch.

But Emile Heskey lasted less than 25 minutes of the second half before picking up a knock which saw his early departure.

And it was left to new signing Milan Baros, who came closest to putting Liverpool ahead in the 54th minute, to provide the firepower.

But after beating a tiring defence he blasted his shot just wide of the upright.

Traore made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Martin Petrov on 75 minutes and Liverpool were lucky three minutes later when defender former Derby defender Stefan Schnoor saw his 35-yard effort fly just right of the upright.