Sports09 August, 20262 min read
Monaco Overturns Liverpool’s Two-Goal Lead At Anfield To Win 3-2
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Monaco overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at Anfield in Iraola's first game Liverpool led 2-0 before Monaco's comeback in the second half
Iraola’s Anfield test
Liverpool’s pre-season under Andoni Iraola ended in disappointment at Anfield as Monaco came from two goals down to win 3-2, overturning an early lead built by Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. GistReel said Isak opened the scoring and Wirtz added a second, but Monaco’s comeback began when Aleksandr Golovin converted from the penalty spot to reduce the deficit. The BBC described a sell-out crowd and a sense of excitement around the ground for the start of a new era under a new manager, yet Iraola’s side again “threw away a two-goal lead” after substitutions.
Iraola’s first home match also featured a debut for Víctor Muñoz, who came on in the 59th minute as Liverpool tried to manage the game after a strong first 45 minutes. After Monaco completed the turnaround with a late header from Paris Brunner, the result left Iraola assessing his squad with the competitive season approaching.
Quotes and squad depth
Iraola told LFC TV that the pattern was familiar, saying, "It was quite similar to the game we played against Leeds," as he pointed to how Liverpool’s level dropped after changes. He added, "Right now we probably don't have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this," framing the collapse as a squad-depth issue rather than only tactics. The BBC said Iraola had two pre-season games remaining, a double-header against Como on 16 August, before Liverpool’s Premier League season gets under way.
In the same match, the BBC reported that Van Dijk returned against Monaco after an extended post-World Cup break, starting alongside 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe at centre-back. Ifeanyi Ndukwe’s presence and the BBC’s note that Liverpool finished with Luke Chambers and Wataru Endo at centre-back underscored the challenge Iraola described in sustaining performance across the full game.
What’s at stake next
The BBC said the next Premier League test comes in two weeks time at Newcastle, with the question of who will partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.
It also reported that Ronald Araujo, 27, completed his medical on Sunday with a season-long loan move from Barcelona and an option to buy for around £47.2m nearing completion, while Jeremy Jacquet, 21, was still working back from injury.
Against Monaco, the BBC said Wirtz and Isak offered a glimpse of what’s to come, with Isak scoring the first goal and Wirtz operating in behind Isak in the number 10 role.
Isak told LFC TV, "I think we agreed that me and Flo [Florian Wirtz], we both got a touch on the ball," and he added, "Really good. I feel like the spirit is good in the group."
With the BBC also noting that Liverpool led 2-0 against Leeds at halftime before conceding four times to lose 2-4, the Monaco defeat left Iraola facing the same problem of sustaining a lead as the season begins.