Jul 26, 2026
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Liverpool defeated Sunderland 4-2 in a preseason friendly in Nashville, marking Andoni Iraola's first game in charge, though defender Joe Gomez suffered an early injury.

ManyPress

ManyPress

ManyPress Editorial

2 min readSource:Sky Sports Football
Andoni Iraola Wins First Match as Liverpool Manager in 4-2 Victory Over Sunderland

Key facts

  • Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot as Liverpool manager in June.
  • Liverpool used 22 players throughout the preseason match in Nashville.
  • Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa, and Lewis Koumas scored second-half goals to secure the comeback.
  • Joe Gomez was replaced by youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe early in the first half.
  • Giovanni Leoni has been out since September with an ACL injury sustained on his debut.

Andoni Iraola secured a victory in his debut as Liverpool manager, overseeing a 4-2 win against Sunderland during the club's summer tour of the United States. Played in Nashville, the match saw Liverpool overcome a 2-1 halftime deficit with a strong second-half performance. While the result provided a positive start for the new manager, the game was marred by an early injury to stand-in captain Joe Gomez.

By the numbers

4-2
final score of the match
25 yards
distance of Le Fee's goal
22
total players used by Liverpool
29
age of Joe Gomez

Match Progression and Scoring

Kieran Morrison opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 13th minute following a team move. Sunderland equalized in the 28th minute through a long-range strike from Le Fee and took the lead in the 49th minute via a goal from Tuterov. Liverpool responded in the 56th minute with a Dominik Szoboszlai volley to level the score. Federico Chiesa put Liverpool back in front in the 72nd minute, and Lewis Koumas added a final goal in the 85th minute to secure the win.

Injury Concerns for Liverpool

The match saw Joe Gomez forced off the pitch just 10 minutes into the game with an apparent muscle issue. Manager Andoni Iraola expressed concern regarding the injury, noting that the team had previously avoided fitness issues during training. The defensive situation is further complicated by the absence of other players; Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined for several months following an ACL injury, and Jeremy Jacquet missed the Nashville fixture due to a minor knock.

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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Sky Sports Football.

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