Gomez injury, four goals mark Iraola’s first Liverpool win
6 verified5 unconfirmed
Andoni Iraola began his tenure as Liverpool head coach with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland in Nashville, the opening match of the club’s US summer tour. Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas scored for Liverpool, while Sunderland replied through Enzo Le Fee and Timur Tutierov. The match was overshadowed by an early injury to stand-in captain and centre-back Joe Gomez, who was forced off in the eighth minute after appearing to suffer a muscle issue. Iraola described the injury as the worst news of the night and noted his squad is already thin defensively, with several defenders unavailable. The new manager said the performance provided a good starting point but acknowledged there are many areas to correct as the team builds fitness.
What’s verified
Liverpool defeated Sunderland 4-2 in Andoni Iraola’s first match as head coach.
Liverpool’s goals were scored by Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas.
Joe Gomez, starting as centre-back and captain, was substituted in the eighth minute due to injury.
Iraola called the injury the “worst news” and said the squad is “very thin” defensively.
The match was Liverpool’s opening friendly of their US summer tour.
Iraola replaced Arne Slot as Liverpool head coach in June 2026.
Not yet confirmed
One source reported that Sunderland’s goals were scored by Timur Tutierov and Enzo Le Fee, with specific timing and build-up details that are not corroborated by the other source.
One source mentioned that Harvey Elliott assisted Morrison’s opener, that Morrison is a 19-year-old Northern Ireland international, and that Josh Abe (age 16) made his debut – none of these details appear in the second source.
One source listed the attendance as 24,897; the other did not mention attendance.
One source reported that Jeremy Jacquet (new signing) missed the game with a minor knock and that Giovanni Leoni is recovering from an ACL injury; these details were only partially mentioned in the other source.
The full list of Liverpool’s upcoming pre-season fixtures was provided by only one source.
Key figures
Andoni Iraola – Liverpool head coach
Joe Gomez – Liverpool defender and stand-in captain
Kieran Morrison – Liverpool midfielder
Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool midfielder
Federico Chiesa – Liverpool forward
Lewis Koumas – Liverpool forward
Enzo Le Fee – Sunderland midfielder
Timur Tutierov – Sunderland forward
Regis Le Bris – Sunderland head coach
Richard Hughes – Liverpool sporting director
Sources: BBC News, Sky Sports
