ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was a gorgeous day for soccer at the Big House, and even though it wasn't the most competitive match, Liverpool and Manchester United delivered a good one to watch, which is ultimately what friendlies are all about. Liverpool fielded plenty of stars while the Red Devils continued to play their younger players, but the match wasn't devoid of excitement for the approximate 95,000 in attendance at Michigan Stadium.

With Liverpool running through a cycle of immensely talented players such as such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who were putting on a clinic before Mane scored a penalty kick to make the match 1-0 in the 28th minute, Manchester United emphasized playing younger players alongside newcomers such as Alexis Sanchez. However, Manchester's only goal of the day belonged to 22-year-old Andreas Pereira, who sent a beautiful free kick over the head over the head of Liverpool's Kamil Grabara.

Ultimately, Xherdan Shaqiri became the player of the match for Liverpool in his first match with the squad, showing fans what they have to look forward to after his addition earlier this month. Shaqiri had an assist in the 66th minute to Daniel Sturridge, a nifty little drop pass that Sturridge was able to roll in from the top of the box. It was what Shaqiri did in the 83rd minute, however, that reminded people what Shaqiri was there for. A filthy bicycle kick off of a cross 18-year-old Ben Woodburn that put Liverpool up 4-1 for good. Shaqiri ended up playing 45 minutes for the match.

He reveled in his successful debut afterward, and fans were happy to indulge him.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was also thrilled with Shaqiri's debut with his new club.

"It was good," Klopp told reporters after the match when asked to talk through Shaqiri's debut. "And that's not... Normal. Five days... four days in the club. [He] adapted very well to the style of play ... It was better than I would've expected, to be honest. But I think today was a game where it was quite easy to come in for all of them to play for 90 minutes of really good football..."

As for playing some his new players, Klopp stressed the importance of getting players like Shaqiri and Fabinho -- the latter of whom started the match and came off in the 65th minute after getting a card -- on the pitch in exhibition.

"It's very, very important that [Shaqiri and Fabinho] can get minutes ... [Shaqiri] was really excited. It's [sic] a very good moment in his career coming, having ... experience. He was with Bayern, was with Stoke, was with Milan and so that's an important moment in his career and now we have him. And he can play together with a few really nice football players, so very important."

Shaqiri generated some hype playing for Switzerland in the World Cup, with his biggest moment coming against Serbia when he scored an eventual game-winner that ultimately was instrumental in getting Switzerland out of group play.

For Manchester United, the match was a more "traditional" exhibition. Stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and David de Gea were missing from the pitch, something that manager Jose Mourinho noted after the match.

"These aren't reinforcements," Mourinho said of the young players on the pitch after the match. "This is not our team, this is not our squad. We start the game with almost half of the players are not even going to belong to our squad." Mourinho did note that Manchester United may be in the market to add players, but said that it's an entirely separate conversation.

Mourinho was happy with what he saw out of the young players that were on. "I think the boys did very well ... when gasoline finished, goodbye." He added that Liverpool had a lot of talent on the pitch, and mentioned that rotations kept The Reds fresh. "Salah played 45, then the next match 45, like we do when we have all of the players ... So what this game gave me? Nothing."

Mourinho praised the atmosphere in The Big House as well, though he did have some words about fans coming to see a preseason match.

"The feel was good," he said. "The atmosphere was good, but if I was them I wouldn't come. I wouldn't come, I wouldn't spend my money to see these teams."

With that being said, Mourinho said that that was just a testament to the fans that were present. "I think they show how much they love their clubs," he added. "And they come just to enjoy the clubs they love in Europe, and that is fantastic."

Klopp also talked about the ICC, and he was impressed with Michigan Stadium's energy as well. He often offered up a take on collegiate sports, perhaps without realizing it.

"It's impressive, that's it," Klopp said about the stadium. "The only ... story I know [sic] is the Fab Five. I saw the movie. Not good preparation for the game but I like these stories and it's a very important movie I think, because it shows how the treatment of young players can kill careers ... So that's what I knew about Michigan but now I was here and it's a wonderful area, obviously."

The match really did draw some impressive interest, with The Big House looking like a sea of red. And if you know anything about the Big House, you know how taboo it is to wear any shade of red around Ann Arbor, let alone inside the Wolverines' den.

Ultimately, it's not about the competition or even the rivalry. It arguably isn't even about "growing" the game of soccer. It comes down to people wanting to watch high-level soccer, and teams being willing to travel overseas to deliver it. It may not have been the most competitive match, but those in attendance saw what Shaqiri can bring to the team, and he delivered with a beautiful goal in what could have been garbage time. The fact that 95,000 were in attendance at an exhibition match shows how big these teams are.

With that being said, don't expect the term "friendly" to be thrown around between these two teams once these two teams face off again in December. Once Manchester United's best are back on the pitch, this rivalry is only going to intensify. For now, however, as Klopp told reporters after the match: "I'm not too sad that we fly home tonight."