Liverpool's pre-season continued with a 3-2 friendly defeat at home to Monaco on Sunday afternoon, a result that marked a frustrating first match at Anfield for new head coach Andoni Iraola. Alexander Isak scored twice for the Reds, but a much-changed side dropped off in the second half, allowing Mika Biereth to equalise and Paris Brunner to snatch a late winner.
First-half promise fades
The Reds started brightly, with Isak opening the scoring before Aleksandr Golovin pulled one back for Monaco from the penalty spot shortly before half-time. A much-changed Liverpool then faded dramatically after the break, conceding two goals to surrender their lead.
Iraola, appointed in place of the sacked Arne Slot, will have seen encouraging signs in the first half, particularly from Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Ryan Gravenberch, but the overall performance was a disappointment.
Player ratings
Alisson Becker 7: Early saves from Biereth and Abline in an otherwise quiet first half until beaten by Golovin's penalty.
Jeremie Frimpong 6: Appeared to spend as little time as possible at right-back, moving into central midfield whenever possible, which wasn't always the wisest move.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe 8: Impressed with his dominance in the air and overall composure, earning applause from Van Dijk with one neat piece of skill.
Virgil van Dijk 6: Asserted authority early on with some front-footed defending before easing himself back on his first pre-season outing. Blotted his copybook by fouling Golovin for the penalty.
Kostas Tsimikas 6: His first Anfield appearance in more than a year, ring-rust clearly evident after a season on loan at Roma. Close with one long-distance drive.
Dominik Szoboszlai 6: Involved in the build-up for the opener but steady rather than spectacular in central midfield. Did better in the second half.
Ryan Gravenberch 8: Ostensibly the deepest midfielder, but free to push forward when in possession, which created the first goal. Good physicality and engine.
Lewis Koumas 7: Work ethic and pace made him an instant favourite with the crowd, firing in a number of shots before his cross helped spark the second.
Florian Wirtz 7: Not every probing pass found its mark, but that he was so often in such positions as the number 10 will have enthused Iraola. Forced one good save from Monaco goalkeeper Hradecky and was in the vicinity for the second.
Cody Gakpo 7: Much more like the player of the title-winning campaign, his header helped force the second and he impressed with willingness to run at defenders and direct use of the ball.
Alexander Isak 7: Took the opener very well and showed plenty of appetite to work and understanding with his team-mates before eventually being awarded the second. Encouraging showing.
Substitutes
Giorgi Mamardashvili (for Alisson 46) 6: Good save from Biereth but beaten too easily by the second shot. Couple of good stops but kicking still leaves much to be desired.
Wataru Endo (for Ndukwe 46) 5: First Liverpool outing since February, coming in at centre-back and well off the pace at the start when outmuscled for the second goal, but did improve after that.
Luke Chambers (for Van Dijk 59) 6: Slight escape when fouled when challenging for one tricky through-ball but wasn't deterred.
Milos Kerkez (for Tsimikas 59) 6: A couple of strong runs going forward but not helped by Liverpool lacking shape on his arrival.
James McConnell (for Wirtz 59) 5: Nervy opening with a few misplaced passes but eventually settled in a somewhat advanced midfield role.
Trey Nyoni (for Szoboszlai 59) 5: Unable to make anything like the same impression as in other outings this pre-season.
Rio Ngumoha (for Gakpo 59) 6: Coming in on the right flank once again, got the crowd going straight away with one direct run from deep but subdued overall.
Victor Munoz (for Isak 59) 6: First appearance since his signing, one piece of trickery soon got supporters onside.
Federico Chiesa (for Koumas 76) 5: Ran around in effort to get into the match, but rarely involved.
Harvey Elliott (for Szoboszlai 76) 5: Given a massive ovation on his return to Anfield as a Liverpool player but negligible impact.
Calvin Ramsay (for Frimpong 76) 6: More minutes for the right-back.
