After Derk Boerrigter and Kiki Musampa scored well-placed goals in minutes two and forty-three, respectively, to bookend the first half, the visitors led by two goals at the intermission.

Early in the second half, a brilliant goal by Gregory Vignal in front of the Kop cut the Reds’ deficit in half. A quarter of an hour later, Djibril Cisse leveled the score for the home team with a header.

Nabil El Zhar gave Liverpool the lead and Fernando Torres completed the scoring, giving the sold-out fans the thrilling finish they had been waiting for.

With a record-breaking 59,655 attendance, the eighth annual legends match generated money to assist the activities of the official former players association Forever Reds and the LFC Foundation.

In addition, Sven-Goran Eriksson fulfilled his dream of leading a Reds team—he shared a dugout with Ian Rush, John Aldridge, and John Barnes—and was met with an emotional reception from the supporters.

Within two minutes of kickoff, the first goal of the match—presented by club partner AXA—was scored by the visiting team.

After winning the ball in the Liverpool half, Demy de Zeeuw advanced via the right channel. He saw an opportunity to thread Boerrigter a pass to the six-yard box, where he pushed a finish beyond Jerzy Dudek.

In response, Steven Gerrard’s speculative penalty claim was turned down, Maxi Rodriguez dragged a 20-yarder wide, and Torres sent a near-post header off target for Liverpool.

On minute 22, the Reds tested the opposition goalie correctly for the first time as Maxi’s sweeping attempt toward the left corner was palmed away.

They had three chances to score after a corner, but for some reason they were unable to score. In short succession, blocks and saves prevented Martin Skrtel, Torres, and Maxi from scoring.

After a good Ajax play, Musampa deflected a header into the Kop stand. Dangerous goals from Boerrigter and Michael Krohn-Dehli forced Dudek to intervene.

And only two minutes before halftime, the Dutch team extended their lead with a well placed goal. Musampa was able to bring down Boerrigter’s cross that had been raised into the area from the left and poke past Dudek.

After the break, a significantly altered Liverpool starting lineup was revealed, with Cisse and Dirk Kuyt being added for the second half.

And on minute 54, the hosts tied the score with a well-executed goal. After fast passes between Mark Gonzalez, Gerrard, and Torres, the ball was sent to the outside of the box, where Vignal scored into the bottom corner.

Playing one-on-one, Ryan Babel, now wearing Ajax colors, may have put the game to bed later than the hour. However, Daniel Agger stopped it from rolling past the line because his dink over Sander Westerveld lacked strength.

After getting behind again, Babel curled a shot against the base of the right post, but the Reds rallied and equalized on minute 74.

Kuyt’s tempting cross into the center was only partially cleared, and Cisse met it with a downward header that slid through the goalkeeper and in.

Liverpool had gained significant momentum and finished the turnaround with 80 minutes remaining. El Zhar was sent through by Cisse’s valiant struggle to maintain an attack, and he scored from close range.

All afternoon, Torres seemed to be desperate for a goal, and eventually he got one. The Spaniard finished off another memorable charity event at Anfield by tapping the ball over the line after Gonzalez produced a cross-area pass.