26 July 2026
Liverpool defeated Sunderland 4-2 in the first match under new Spanish manager Andoni Iraola, though the victory came at a cost following an injury to defender Joe Gomez.
Gomez, 29, left the pitch ten minutes into Sunday's match, while goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa, and Lewis Koumas secured the win for Liverpool.
In an interview with the club's website, Iraola said: "There are many things to correct, which is natural since it is day one. It was clear the players were a bit sluggish in their movement; they have been training hard."
He added: "We lacked some sharpness because of that. However, this gives us a good starting point for improvement. Perhaps the worst news was Joe's injury. We were happy to have gone through all the training sessions without any players missing out. Unfortunately, we lost Joe early in the match."
Liverpool are set to play pre-season friendlies against Wrexham, Leeds United, Monaco, and Como, before opening their Premier League campaign with an away match against Newcastle on August 23.
