SOME new names for Liverpool fans to conjure with, although perhaps not the ones the expected to be discussing as they walked out of Ibrox last night. Robbie Keane did not play badly at all, yet found himself upstaged by a lithe young French striker named David Ngog and an impressive Italian left-back called Andrea Dossena.

Besides the performances of those two summer recruits, there was plenty more to please Rafa Benitez in this cruise by the Clyde. His young reserves reminded him of their abilities as Liverpool scored three times in the second half without reply to build on a half-time advantage supplied by Fernando Torres. Benitez was pleased by the first outing of Keane and Torres together and Rangers manager Walter Smith was gracious enough afterwards to say they can turn Liverpool from a top-four team into genuine title contenders. “You would have to say Liverpool have the quality to challenge for the title,” he said. “Torres and Keane can give them that little edge.”

Keane, of course, as a Republic of Ireland international, found his every touch booed yesterday. The Liverpool fans, for their part, seemed rather more convivial to their hosts. “Thank you Rangers, for your efforts in destroying Manchester,” read one banner. The Ibrox hierarchy probably cringed at that reminder of the violence after the Uefa Cup final.

Steven Gerrard and Keane both almost played Torres through early on with the Rangers defence immediately looking vulnerable to his rapier thrusts. Liverpool also had an initial defensive weakness, a nasty habit of knocking the ball about in front of their box. Lee McCulloch, with a shot just wide, and Kenny Miller, with a snatched, rising left-footer, might have capitalised.

While the headlines have been taken by Keane’s arrival and the pursuit of Gareth Barry, Damien Plessis, the young Frenchman, has quietly been impressing in Liverpool’s preseason as a holding midfielder and it was his booming 20-yarder from the left-hand corner of Rangers’ box that allowed Torres to break the deadlock on 24minutes.

The power of Plessis’s shot surprised Allan McGregor, whose attempt to parry it away became more of a gentle prod of the ball straight to the predatory Torres, who slid it into the net. Also impressive, both in attack and defence, was Dossena, the left-back signed from Udi-nese as a replacement for John Arne Riise. Right on the interval he prevented a certain Rangers equaliser by sliding in on the goalline to stop Nacho Novo scoring after the Spaniard had raced on to Miller’s reverse pass and nutmegged Diego Cavalieri. The goalkeeper, signed from Palmeiras to understudy Jose Reina, had also almost been caught out by Sasa Papac’s curling chip before tipping it over his bar. Cavalieri was better when pushing a Jean-Claude Darcheville cross-shot away as Nacho Novo tried to slide in on it at the start of second half, Darcheville’s introduction in place of Miller being one of 10 changes, five apiece, the sides made at half-time.

Another alteration was Ngog coming on and the young Frenchman, a prolific scorer for his country at under19 level and signed from Paris St Germain this summer, made an immediate impact, seizing on a slipshod pass from Kirk Broadfoot and scoring with an accurate left-foot shot from just inside Rangers’ box.It was quickly 3-0 as more of Liverpool’s fringe players made an impact after their introductions. This time Emiliano Insua’s cross from the left was turned on target by Christian Nemeth and McGregor’s half-save again fell straight to an opponent at the back post, Yossi Benayoun being the beneficiary. Rangers were ragged now and when Darcheville was caught in possession, Xabi Alonso stepped imperiously forward to play in Nemeth. Broadfoot’s desperate tackle invited a penalty, which Alonso converted emphatically.

Star man:Andrea Dossena (Liverpool)

RANGERS: McGregor 4 (Alexander 63min); Whittaker 5, Broadfoot 4, Weir 6 (Webster ht, 5), Papac 7 (Dailly ht, 5); Hemdani 5; Novo 5 (Boyd 61min), McCulloch 6 (Furman ht, 6), Thomson 6 (Adam ht, 5), Lafferty 5 (Velicka 72min); Miller 6 (Darcheville ht, 6)

LIVERPOOL:Cavalieri 6 (Reina 63min, 5), Arbeloa 6 (Darby ht, 5), Skrtel 6 (Hyypia 60min), Carragher 6 (Agger ht, 6), Dossena 8; Kuyt 6 (Insua 58min, 5), Gerrard 7 (Spearing 58min, 7), Plessis 7 (Alonso ht, 7), Benayoun 7 (Pennant 72min); Keane 6 (Meneth 58min, 6), Torres 7 (Ngog ht, 8)

Referee:C Thomson Attendance:50,233