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The Andoni Iraola era astatine Liverpool opened pinch a triumph complete Sunderland successful Nashville – and a deepening of concerns complete nan protect options astatine his disposal. The show of Joe Gomez hobbling disconnected aft 10 minutes of nan caller caput coach’s first crippled and 2 teenagers forming a earthy cardinal defence business successful his absence intensified nan spotlight connected a section successful request of work.
Liverpool had fewer issues astatine nan different extremity of nan transportation against Regis Le Bris’s side, resplendent successful pinkish successful Tennessee, wherever 2nd half finishes from Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas delivered an yet comfortable win.
Geodis Park paid tribute to nan precocious Kevin Keegan earlier kick-off pinch some sets of supporters applauding nan Liverpool, Hamburg and Newcastle awesome anterior to watching an impeccable play of soundlessness successful his memory. The crowd itself was sparse, pinch plentifulness of quiet seats astir nan 30,000 capacity stadium, though nan charismatic attendance was fixed arsenic 24,897. Charging from $129 to $392 (£96 to £292) for tickets to a pre-season friends missing its contingent of World Cup players possibly explains why.
Sunderland were without Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey and summertime signing Thomas Meunier. Liverpool’s absentee database included World Cup finalists Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch, who will subordinate nan circuit adjacent week, and Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Alisson, who besides resume pre-season training adjacent week but backmost connected Merseyside.
Liverpool besides had a summertime signing missing. Jeremy Jacquet, acquired for an first £55m from Rennes, was near retired arsenic a precaution but is expected to characteristic earlier nan circuit concludes against Leeds successful Chicago adjacent Sunday.
Having expressed interest complete his “very thin” protect options earlier successful nan week, Iraola’s resources were stretched further erstwhile Gomez went down injured early on. The luckless Gomez was incapable to proceed aft curen and his departure meant Liverpool’s cardinal defence comprised 2 18-year-olds recruited successful January, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe. Kostas Tsimikas took nan captain’s armband from Gomez, past passed it connected to Szoboszlai erstwhile he was replaced astatine nan interval.
Talla Ndiaye, a £1m signing from Amitie successful Senegal, and Ndukwe, a £2.5m transportation from Austria Vienna who only teamed up pinch Liverpool this summer, bespeak Liverpool’s argumentation of recruiting cardinal defenders for nan future. The present and now must besides beryllium addressed. With Ibrahima Konate exiting to Real Madrid, Giovanni Leoni yet to resume afloat training aft his ACL injury, Gomez wounded prone and Jacquet untested successful nan Premier League, though rated highly highly, nan work connected Van Dijk will beryllium sizeable adjacent season. As it was past season.
The reply to nan early quiz mobility of who scored nan first extremity of nan Iraola era astatine Liverpool is Kieran Morrison. The 19-year-old winger started connected nan right, besides known arsenic nan chasm near by Mohamed Salah, and slid a good decorativeness into nan acold area of Melker Ellborg’s extremity erstwhile released wrong nan area by Harvey Elliott, different subordinate hopeless to impressment nan caller Liverpool caput coach pursuing a wasted play astatine Aston Villa.
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Sunderland equalised successful style erstwhile Enzo Le Fee collapsed from midfield and swept a superb changeable into Giorgi Mamardashvili’s apical area from 25 yards. Le Bris made 10 changes astatine half-time, Iraola five, and Sunderland soon took nan lead erstwhile Jaydon Jones picked retired Timur Tutierov wrong nan area and nan striker slotted beyond nan Liverpool goalkeeper from 12 yards.
Szoboszlai gave nan mostly of nan crowd what they had paid bully money to spot erstwhile controlling a loose Sunderland clearance 22 yards retired and beating Ellborg pinch a convincing finish. Chiesa steered a clever changeable wrong nan adjacent station from Calvin Ramsay’s walk down nan Sunderland defence earlier Koumas, released by Szoboszlai, sealed nan win.
