The visitors led by two goals at halftime, having scored in minutes two and 43, respectively, with Derk Boerrigter and Kiki Musampa both scoring from close range.
Gregory Vignal’s brilliant strike in front of the Kop cut the Reds’ deficit in half early in the second period, and Djibril Cisse equalized for the home club with a header a quarter of an hour later.
There was still time for Liverpool to give a sold-out crowd the ending they desired, with Nabil El Zhar putting them ahead before Fernando Torres completed the scoring.
The eighth annual Legends game brought a record-breаking crowd of 59,655, with proceeds benefiting the LFC Foundation and the official former players’ association Forever Red.
It also saw Sven-Goran Eriksson realize his dream of leading a Reds club – the Swede was part of a dugout that included John Aldridge, John Barnes, and Ian Rush – and receive a heartfelt reception from the fans.
The game, promoted by club partner AXA, saw the visitors score the first goal inside two minutes of kickoff.
Demy de Zeeuw won the ball in the Liverpool half and advanced along the right channel. He saw an opportunity to weave a pass into the six-yard box for Boerrigter, who poked the ball beyond Jerzy Dudek.
Liverpool responded with Mаxi Rodriguez dragging a 20-yarder wide, Torres missing a near-post header, and Steven Gerrard’s speculative penalty claim being turned down.
On 22 minutes, the Reds truly tested the rival goalkeeper, with Mаxi’s sweeping effort in the left corner palmed away.
Soon after, they failed to score despite having three chances from a corner. Martin Skrtel, Torres, and Mаxi were all stopped by blocks and saves in rapid succession.
Musampa headed into the Kop stand following a good Ajax move, before Dudek was called into action by dangerous Boerrigter and Michael Krohn-Dehli attacks.
The Dutch then extended their lead with a stunning goal two minutes before halftime. Boerrigter launched a cross into the area from the left, which Musampa was able to knоck dоwn and push past Dudek.
A much-changed Liverpool XI emerged from the break, with Cisse and Dirk Kuyt among those introduced for the second half.
And the hosts got themselves back into the game with a beautiful goal on 54 minutes. Gerrard, Torres, and Mark Gonzalez exchanged quick passes, with the latter serving the ball to the edge of the box, from which Vignal blasted into the bottom corner.
When played one-on-one, Ryan Babel, now on the field in Ajax colors, could have put the game away after the hour mark. But his dink over Sander Westerveld lacked strength, as Daniel Agger stopped it from going over the line.
Babel then shot against the base of the right post after breаking in behind again, but the Reds responded with an equaliser on 74 minutes.
A set-piece was only half cleared, and Kuyt sent an inviting cross into the center, which Cisse met with a downward header that wiggled past the goalkeeper and in.
Liverpool now had the momentum, and they finished the turnaround with 80 minutes on the clock. Cisse fought hard to keep an аttаck going and send El Zhar through – and he hammered home from close range.
Torres’ hunger for a goal was evident throughout the day, and it arrived late. Gonzalez crossed the ball to the Spaniard, who tapped it across the line on the stretch to cap off another special charity event at Anfield.