Iraola’s Liverpool Debut Ends in 4-2 Win Overshadowed by Gomez Injury

Goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas handed Andoni Iraola a winning start to life as Liverpool manager. But the celebrations in Nashville were tempered just eight minutes in, when captain Joe Gomez was forced off with an injury.

Worst possible start as Gomez goes down inside eight minutes

Starting at centre-back and wearing the captain’s armband, Joe Gomez had to be substituted after just eight minutes following an injury, immediately putting a dampener on Iraola’s first game in charge.

For a new manager still getting to know his squad, losing his captain so early is exactly the kind of setback he’ll have wanted to avoid in pre-season.

Szoboszlai, Chiesa and Koumas fire Liverpool to victory

Despite the blow, Liverpool never let the setback derail their performance. Kieran Morrison opened the scoring before Dominik Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa both found the net to extend the lead.

Lewis Koumas rounded off the scoring to make it 4-2, a result that showed Liverpool’s attack is already clicking under Iraola even in his very first match.

Iraola’s first comments on the Gomez injury

“Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe. We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we’ve lost Joe straight away,” Iraola said after the match.

The comments make clear that, despite the winning scoreline, squad fitness and injury management will be an immediate challenge for the Basque coach at Anfield.

What comes next for Liverpool and Iraola

Liverpool fans watching every step of the new Iraola era will now be waiting on further updates about the extent of Gomez’s injury and whether he’ll be sidelined for the rest of the pre-season tour.

The club has not yet confirmed a timeline for Gomez’s return, leaving his involvement in Liverpool’s remaining pre-season fixtures firmly in doubt.

FAQ