Liverpool score three after half-time to beat Sunderland in Nashville

Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 at GEODIS Park in Nashville. The match was Andoni Iraola’s first game as Liverpool head coach. His side recovered after Sunderland took the lead early in the second half.

Kieran Morrison opened the scoring before Enzo Le Fee equalised. Timur Tutierov then put Sunderland ahead after the break. Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas completed Liverpool’s recovery.

Morrison finishes Liverpool’s first clear attack

Iraola selected a team containing senior players and academy graduates. Joe Gomez started as captain in the centre of defence. His match ended inside the opening ten minutes because of a knock. Ifeanyi Ndukwe replaced him, while Kostas Tsimikas took the armband.

Liverpool still made the stronger start. Harvey Elliott released Morrison on the right side of the penalty area. The young forward moved onto his left foot before shooting low. His finish reached the far bottom corner after twelve minutes.

The goal followed a quick move rather than a long spell of pressure. Liverpool created space by moving the ball through midfield at speed. Morrison then used the open lane instead of taking another touch. The finish gave Iraola an early lead in his first match.

Sunderland responded by carrying the ball through the centre. Le Fee collected possession inside Liverpool’s half and continued forward. His powerful shot from outside the box beat Giorgi Mamardashvili. The equaliser arrived before the half-hour mark.

Sunderland lead before Liverpool change the game

Sunderland almost moved ahead before the interval. Mamardashvili saved from Romaine Mundle, and James McConnell blocked the follow-up. Liverpool reached half-time with the score level. Iraola then made five changes during the break.

Tutierov put Sunderland in front four minutes after the restart. Tom Proctor helped the ball into the penalty area. Tutierov reacted first and lifted a close-range finish beyond the goalkeeper. Liverpool now needed two goals to avoid defeat.

Milos Kerkez nearly equalised from Jeremie Frimpong’s cross. His header from close range did not reach the target. Liverpool kept the attack alive and returned around the Sunderland area. The pressure soon produced a cleaner chance for Szoboszlai.

The midfielder controlled a loose ball on his chest outside the box. He struck the bouncing ball before the defence could close him. The shot entered near the goalkeeper’s left post. Liverpool were level again in the fifty-sixth minute.

Chiesa and Koumas complete the recovery

Liverpool continued to create chances after the equaliser. Calum Scanlon narrowly missed Morrison’s low cross at the far post. Melker Ellborg then stopped Koumas during another quick attack. Sunderland were spending longer periods near their own penalty area.

Calvin Ramsay found Chiesa in space on the right. The Italian received the pass near the six-yard box. He guided an angled finish past Ellborg to restore Liverpool’s lead. The move gave Chiesa a goal after entering at half-time.

Koumas added the fourth goal with four minutes remaining. Szoboszlai played the pass into him near the penalty area. Koumas stepped inside Leo Hjelde and opened a shooting lane. His low finish ended Sunderland’s chance of another recovery.

Liverpool scored three times after falling behind. Each goal came from a different substitute or young forward. The second-half group moved the ball more quickly around the box. Sunderland could not repeat the pressure that produced Tutierov’s goal.

Iraola uses most of the travelling squad

The friendly gave Iraola time to use most of his travelling group. He changed the goalkeeper and several outfield positions during the second half. Academy players shared the pitch with experienced senior internationals. That mix produced all four Liverpool goals.

Gomez’s early injury was the only clear concern. The defender left before Liverpool had settled into the match. Ndukwe completed the remaining first-half minutes beside the senior players. The club did not announce a detailed diagnosis in the match report.

Morrison contributed a goal and later created another chance. Szoboszlai changed the match with a goal and an assist. Chiesa and Koumas also converted their strongest openings. The attacking contributions were spread across both halves.

A crowd of 24,897 watched the game in Nashville. Liverpool began their summer programme with a win and six goals between the teams. The recovery followed a clear rise in Liverpool’s second-half tempo. Iraola’s first team turned a half-time draw into a two-goal victory.

The second-half changes produce three goals

Joe Gomez left the field during the opening part of the match. Liverpool changed the defence without losing its attacking shape. The early substitution gave another player a long spell in the heat. Iraola later used the rest of his bench across the second half.

Sunderland carried a lead into the interval after answering Morrison’s opener. Liverpool returned with quicker movement around the penalty area. Szoboszlai supplied the first response after the break. The next two goals came from players introduced during the match.

Chiesa found space as Sunderland began to defend closer to its goal. Koumas then completed the scoring during the closing phase. Their finishes rewarded Liverpool’s stronger second-half pressure. Sunderland still made the contest useful by scoring twice.

The Nashville crowd saw six goals and two different Liverpool lineups. That gave Iraola minutes for senior players and younger squad members. The second-half increase in tempo produced three Liverpool goals. Liverpool left with a win from the new coach’s first match.

Liverpool used the full width more often after the interval. That movement gave the midfield clearer passing angles near Sunderland’s area. The substitutes then attacked spaces that had opened beside the central defenders. Three different second-half scorers showed how the pressure was shared.

Liverpool introduced Szoboszlai, Kerkez, Koumas, Chiesa and Nyoni at half-time. Woodman, Ramsay, Scanlon, Chambers and Abe followed later. Ndukwe had already replaced Gomez during the opening minutes.