AS Monaco hand Liverpool a 3-2 defeat at Anfield
What's the story
Liverpool FC suffered a 2-3 defeat against AS Monaco in their latest pre-season friendly. The match, which was Andoni Iraola's first game in charge at Anfield, saw the Reds take an early lead with goals from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. However, they were unable to maintain their momentum and let Monaco come back into the game. Here's more.
Match turnaround
Monaco come from behind to beat Liverpool
Monaco equalized through Aleksandr Golovin's penalty and Mika Biereth, who scored after his first attempt was saved by Mamardashvili.
The French side then took the lead with Paris Brunner's late header.
Despite making 11 changes in the second half to give minutes on the pitch, Iraola's men couldn't hold onto their early advantage.
Player returns
Return of World Cup stars not enough for Liverpool
Liverpool's World Cup stars, including Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, made their return to the starting XI. New signing Victor Munoz was also given a chance from the bench.
However, despite these big names on the pitch, Liverpool couldn't secure a win at home against Monaco.
The match was another disappointment for Liverpool after their previous pre-season loss against Leeds United in Chicago.
Pre-season record
Two wins and 2 losses in pre-season for the Reds
Liverpool's pre-season record now stands at two wins and two losses.
They had previously beaten Sunderland (4-2) in Nashville and Wrexham (1-0) in New York.
However, they also suffered a defeat against Leeds United (2-4) in Chicago before the latest loss to Monaco at Anfield.
The Reds will be looking to improve their form as they prepare for the upcoming season.
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Iraola reflects on the result
"It was quite similar to the game against Leeds," Iraola told LFCTV after the match.
"We played a good first half but we don't have much more in terms of the level required to play like this. And then they were much better in the second half."
"In the same way we were better in the first half, they were much better in the second half and they deserved to turn around the game. [A lot of the senior players] were at different levels but mostly they were in a good place," he added.
Information
Iraola on players lacking energy
Iraola also felt players lack energy to play full 90 minutes at the moment. "Even the ones playing their first or second game had energy. The problem is right now they probably don't have the energy for 90 minutes. They started to get tired and that will take time for them."