In what was a great day out for Irish football fans at the Aviva Stadium, Liverpool defeated Ireland 2-1 thanks to a Vladimir Smicer winner. It was a fitting occasion to help raise some vital funds for Sean Cox and his family.
In terms of performances, it was a very mixed bag. Some players still have it, others not so much. Here's how we rated them.
Ireland
Wayne Henderson - 8
Pulled off a cracking save to deny Robbie Fowler early on.
Steven Reid - 7
Playing as a centre back, he looked more accomplished than his partner who was an actual defender.
Ian Harte - 6
The biggest disappointment of the evening was the lack of Ian Harte free-kicks.
Kenny Cunningham - 5
Gave away the penalty and got a run around from Robbie Keane in the second half.
Ronnie Whelan - 6
The mobility is gone lads. Threw his jacket at Mick McCarthy walking off, pointing to some potential unrest in the Ireland camp. Swapped teams at half time in a presumed fit of rage.
Stephen Hunt - 7
Absolutely nailed Jason McAteer after the two ran into each other. It looked completely unitentional, but with Hunt you would never know...
Kevin Doyle - 9
Watching Doyle and Keane up front together brought back some fond memories. The partnership hasn't lost an ounce of chemistry, and Doyle is still in great shape.
Robbie Keane - 10
Basically a cheat code in this game. Made hay against a weaker Ireland defence in the second half. Mick McCarthy should probably sack him as a coach and get him back in the squad!
Kevin Foley - 7
Another lad who's ability to actually run stood out, Foley did a decent job down the right.
Lee Carsley - 6
He did Lee Carsley things.
Keith Andrews - 8
Opened the scoring with a decent header and generally played in a very Keith Andrews like manner.
Graham Kavanagh - 6
A commanding and forgettable showing.
Liam Lawrence - 8
he never lost that set-piece ability anyway, coming up with some lovely deliveries. Almost scored a volley from about 200 yards.
Kevin Kilbane - 7
Mr consistency, a guaranteed 7/10 every week. We will just give him one here as well.
Ray Houghton - 7
Like the conductor of an orchestra in midfield, just don't ask him to do any running.
Alan Quinn - 6
A quiet game, didn't do a whole lot.
Stephen Elliott - 7
Had some lovely touches and hit a couple of nice passes.
Sean St Ledger - 5
Played left back, didn't really suit him.
Colin Healy - 6
A good effort down the right, didn't venture forward too often.
Shane Supple - 5
Didn't have a lot to do, but let in Smicer's goal.
Keith Fahey - 6
Fit as a fiddle, he wouldn't look out of place in an actual football match.
Niall Quinn - 8
A typical target man performance in his brief cameo. Rattled the bar with a beauty of a looping header that would have salvaged a draw for Ireland.
Liverpool
Sander Westerveld - 10
Pulled off an Alison-like turn to send Kevin Doyle to the shops. Did feck all else, but that was enough for us.
Bjorn Tore Kvarme - 7
Had a solid showing in the centre of defence.
Jason McAteer - 6
Lost his head with Jermine Pennant early on, then got cleaned out by Stephen Hunt. In decent shape.
Sami Hyypia - 8
Probably in better shape than most current Premier League players, should be signed by Fulham to sort out their defence.
Patrik Berger - 4
A wand off a left foot, loses four points for chopping off those long luscious locks.
Phil Babb - -2
Made a couple of cracking defensive contributions, stopping Keane form scoring for Ireland one more time. Negative points.
Steve McManaman - 7
Now a central midfielder apparently, he lacked the engine that made him such a good player. Still better than most.
Robbie Fowler - 9
He may have put on a bit of timber, but the man has magic in his boots. Some beautiful touches around the box and would have opened the scoring if not for a cracking Henderson save.
Jermaine Pennant - 7
Won the penalty for Liverpool before being withdrawn due to injury. Made a miraculous recovery to play the second half.
Vladimir Smicer - 8
Had a cracking goal ruled out for offside, probably would have been better than the one in the Champions League final. Made it up for it later on with a tasty finish to give Liverpool the lead.
Michael Thomas - 5
Got largely overrun by a youthful midfield. Played the Claude Makelele role without making any tackles.
John Aldridge - 9
Absolutely took the piss with a stuttered penalty run up to bring Liverpool level. Pulled on the green jersey for the second half.
Richie Partridge - 5
Got a bit of a trimming from Stephen Elliott in the second half.
Neil Mellor - 6
Played in an unfamiliar wide position, he didn't have enough in the legs for it.
To donate to the Sean Cox Fund, please click here.
