Liverpool win Iraola’s first friendly, but Gomez setback raises defensive questions

Liverpool opened Andoni Iraola’s tenure with a 4-2 pre-season win over Sunderland at Geodis Park in Nashville. The main concern was Joe Gomez leaving the match after about 10 minutes, forcing Liverpool into an inexperienced central defensive pairing.

Kieran Morrison scored Liverpool’s first goal of the new era, while Sunderland responded through Enzo Le Fée and Timur Tutierov. Liverpool then recovered in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas completing the comeback.

The match also underlined how stretched Liverpool’s defensive group currently looks. After Gomez’s exit, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, both 18, were used together in central defence, while summer signing Jeremy Jacquet was held out as a precaution and is expected to get minutes later in the US tour.

With several senior players absent from the friendly and some defensive situations still needing confirmation, this was a useful attacking start for Iraola but not a clean answer to the squad-balance question. For editors and supporters, the key issue is whether Liverpool’s youth options are enough cover or whether the club needs more immediate defensive certainty before competitive fixtures begin.