Liverpool rally to beat Sunderland 4-2 in pre-season opener
Liverpool recovered from a one-goal deficit to defeat Sunderland 4-2 in their opening pre-season friendly in Nashville. Goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas completed the comeback after Sunderland briefly led early in the second half.
Nashville: Andoni Iraola enjoyed a winning start to his tenure as Liverpool head coach as the Reds came from behind to defeat Sunderland 4-2 in their opening pre-season friendly at Geodis Park on Sunday.
Liverpool made a bright start and took the lead in the 12th minute through youngster Kieran Morrison. Harvey Elliott released the forward on the right side of the penalty area, and Morrison cut inside before calmly placing a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Sunderland responded strongly and levelled in the 28th minute when Enzo Le Fee drove forward from midfield before firing a powerful long-range strike past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool suffered an early setback when captain Joe Gomez was forced off with an injury inside the opening 10 minutes. Ifeanyi Ndukwe replaced the defender, while Kostas Tsimikas inherited the captain’s armband.
Sunderland carried their momentum into the second half and moved ahead four minutes after the restart. Timur Tutierov met Tom Proctor’s pass inside the box and turned home from close range to make it 2-1.
Liverpool gradually took control of the contest and restored parity in spectacular fashion in the 56th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai controlled a loose ball on his chest outside the penalty area before smashing a superb half-volley into the near corner.
The Reds continued to press for the winner, with Lewis Koumas and Calum Scanlon both going close as Sunderland goalkeeper Melker Ellborg was forced into important saves.
Their pressure eventually paid off when Federico Chiesa put Liverpool in front. Calvin Ramsay’s through ball released the Italian, who finished confidently from a tight angle at the edge of the six-yard box.
Koumas completed the comeback in the 86th minute after collecting another assist from Szoboszlai. The young forward cut inside defender Leo Hjelde before drilling a composed finish from 10 yards to seal a 4-2 victory.
The result marked a positive start for Iraola, whose side dominated the second half after recovering from a one-goal deficit in their first outing of the pre-season campaign.