Three Takeaways From Andoni Iraola’s Victorious Debut As Liverpool Manager

Liverpool were superior and defeated Sunderland 4–2 to start the Andoni Iraola era with an emphatic victory in their preseason opener on Saturday.

Expectations of what the Spanish boss can deliver on Liverpool’s touchline are sky-high, and it took 13 minutes for Kieran Morrison to score the first goal of the new era, finishing an action that perfectly encapsulated what the Reds will be under the former Bournemouth boss. Sunderland responded thanks to a spectacular hit from Enzo Le Fée that sent the game level at one into the break.

The Reds were then shocked soon after the restart as Jeremie Frimpong—who was poor all day— gifted away possession near his own penalty area, and Sunderland took the lead through Timur Tuterov. It took less than 10 minutes for Liverpool to equalize as Dominik Szoboszlai picked up right where he left off last season and fired a rocket from outside the penalty area past Melker Ellborg.

It was all Liverpool after that, and Federico Chiesa eventually scored the third, before Lewis Koumas added the cherry on top with his side’s fourth just five minutes from time.

It was a chaotic game thanks to clear signs of rust but particularly because of the constant substitutions, with 44 players in total featuring in the match. Still, Iraola’s tenure started on the right foot and already there are signs of a clear foundation being laid.

Andoni Iraola’s Heavy Metal Soccer Instantly on Display

A smart finish from Kieran 👏
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 25, 2026

Iraola’s trademarked vertical attacks, suffocating high-press and energetic counter-pressing that resemble Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool sides were immediately on display.

The Reds scored the opener 13 minutes into the match with an action that screamed “Iraola ball.” It took just four passes for the ball to go from the feet of James McConnell, who picked it deep from the goalkeeper, to Kieran Morrison, who scored the opener with a nice finish to the far corner after cutting inside from the right wing.

A similarly devastating vertical combination that included three passes and four total touches saw the ball go from midfield to the feet of Koumas, who calmly scored Liverpool’s fourth.

Liverpool progressed the ball from deep all the way to the final third in a matter of three or four passes. Once set-up high up the pitch, the Reds had numbers in the final third, usually with just two defenders and a holding midfielder staying back to protect against any counter-attacks.

This allowed Liverpool to press and counter-press high up the pitch, leading to a number of recoveries deep inside Sunderland’s own half. Szoboszlai’s equalizer came after he was able to collect a rebound on the edge of the box before lashing a bullet to the back of the net.

Szobo back with a bang 💥 pic.twitter.com/TWuP1t6g2r
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 26, 2026

On the other hand, Iraola’s side was also susceptible to transitions if the press was bypassed or if a turnover was committed near the halfway line. One of these actions led to a counter-attack that finished with Le Fée’s equalizer. It was a beautiful goal from distance, but the Sunderland midfielder had plenty of space to run with the ball as both Liverpool fullbacks were caught high up the pitch, tracking back in urgency.

Iraola’s Reds are clearly still a work in progress, but one can already tell exactly what kind of style the Spanish boss wants to adopt.

Same Old Story With Joe Gomez

It took less than 10 minutes into Liverpool’s preseason opener for Joe Gomez’s recurring injury problems to resurface, dropping to the ground with an apparent muscular issue that forced him to be withdrawn.

Availability is an essential ability for players at top clubs, and Gomez has routinely been unavailable, Muscular problems have seen him play just little over 2,000 minutes across the last two seasons for Liverpool. The 29-year-old has missed over 30 games through injury in that same span.

Gomez isn’t expected to be a starter in Iraola’s first-choice backline, but his versatility and experience make him a worthy backup alternative, especially with Ibrahima Konaté no longer at the club. Konaté’s replacement, Jérémy Jacquet, likely needs time to adapt to English soccer after joining from Rennes, and the Frenchman didn’t feature against Sunderland because he picked up a knock during the week.

Iraola would likely love to have a depth piece like Gomez, but it’s become abundantly clear that he cannot be relied upon due to his extensive injury record. Liverpool will hope Gomez’s new issue is simply minor and that he was substituted for precaution, but it was far from an encouraging sign to see him drop to the ground with yet another fitness issue six minutes into preseason.

The injured Gomez was replaced by highly-rated, 18-year-old signing, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who did well but remains a raw talent that most likely won’t feature prominently come the start of the term.

Solid Impression From Young Reds

Kieran Morrison (left) scored Liverpool’s first goal under Andoni Iraola. | Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Liverpool were far from full strength on Saturday afternoon, with the majority of the team’s stars still on holiday after the World Cup or only just returning to match fitness after a lengthy break. This opened the opportunity for a number of young talents to impress, and a handful of them had impressive showings.

Rio Ngumoha continued to offer a spark whenever he tried to take on his man and will surely play an increased role this season. His wing-twin on the day, Morrison, was even better against Sunderland, scoring a fine goal while also misplacing just two passes all night.

In midfield, McConnell was stellar, outside of his costly turnover that led to Sunderland’s second. The 21-year-old appeared all over the pitch and was the Reds’ main conductor during the first half. But 19-year-old Trey Nyoni was even better when he replaced Curtis Jones after the break. He registered the most defensive contributions of any player on the pitch, and his three chances created were also the high-mark of the match. It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets more minutes under Iraola after getting his feet wet with the senior team last term.

Calvin Ramsey replaced Frimpong after the Dutchman’s egregious error for Sunderland’s second, and the 22-year-old Scotsman was miles better. He fearlessly carried the ball up the pitch on multiple occasions from the moment he was introduced 68 minutes in, nearly setting up an incoming Milos Kerkez with a powerful low cross. Still, Ramsey wasn’t going to be denied, and he finally got his assist when he cleverly picked out Chiesa to restore Liverpool’s lead.

Finally, Kumas was active throughout the second half, taking four shots to lead all players and creating two chances after his introduction. His energetic insistence to make something happen was rewarded with a goal that wrapped up the result.

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

Add us as a preferred source on Google