Andoni Iraola, Liverpool's new manager, suffered a heavy blow after his side squandered a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 against Leeds United. Dominic Calvert-Lewin led a stunning second-half comeback with a brace.
The friendly laid bare how much Liverpool struggle without their key players. Once the stars came off, the team collapsed entirely, leaving Iraola stranded on the touchline and unable to stem the tide. The message was clear: this side needs more depth and stability before the new season begins.
In its analysis, the AS newspaper ran through the main highlights of the match. Liverpool struck early through Luke Chambers in the seventh minute, Szoboszlai's set piece flicked on by Milos Kerkez with his heel before Chambers headed home. The goal underlined Iraola's focus on exploiting dead-ball situations.
Florian Wirtz stole the first half, though, carrying on the impressive form he has shown throughout pre-season.
Managing the play intelligently, Wirtz drifted between the lines to open up space for Jeremie Frimpong and Rio Ngumoha. He then scored the second five minutes before the break, converting a cross from his former Bayer Leverkusen team-mate.
Lukas Nmecha came close to pulling one back for Leeds, but Giorgi Mamardashvili shone with two superb saves. Liverpool went in 2-0 up at the interval.
