LIVERPOOL BEAT SUNDERLAND 4-2 IN IRAOLA'S FIRST MATCH

Liverpool defeated Sunderland 4-2 in a friendly match in Nashville on Saturday, marking Andoni Iraola's opening game as head coach. Goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas secured the victory for Liverpool. The match was overshadowed by an injury to Joe Gomez, who started as centre-back and captain but was taken off in the eighth minute. Iraola described the injury as "probably the worst news" at the start of his tenure, having hoped to complete training without losing players.

The injury highlighted defensive vulnerabilities in Liverpool's squad. Two teenagers, Mor Talla N'diaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, both 18, made their debuts and played until the 68th minute in Gomez's absence. Virgil van Dijk was given extended time off following the Netherlands' World Cup campaign, while new signing Jeremy Jacquet, acquired for an initial £55 million from Rennes, was rested as a precaution. Giovanni Leoni, 19, continues individual training as he recovers from an ACL tear. Iraola stated earlier in the week that his squad was "very thin" defensively.

The match took place at Geodis Park, with an official attendance of 24,897 at the 30,000-capacity stadium. Both sets of supporters observed a period of silence to honour Kevin Keegan before kick-off. Several Liverpool players remained absent due to World Cup commitments or scheduled later returns to pre-season training, including Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Alisson. Iraola's squad will conclude the tour against Leeds in Chicago next Sunday.