Liverpool made a winning start under new head coach Andoni Iraola, defeating Sunderland 4-2 in their opening pre-season friendly in Nashville. Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa, Kieran Morrison, and Lewis Koumas sealed the victory as the Reds began preparations for the new campaign.
Despite the positive result, the biggest concern of the evening was the injury suffered by Joe Gomez, who was forced off after less than 10 minutes with a suspected muscle problem. Iraola described the setback as the "worst news" of the night, especially with Liverpool already short of defensive options ahead of the new season.
Captain Virgil van Dijk is yet to return following the World Cup, while new signing Jeremy Jacquet is still recovering from a shoulder injury and Giovanni Leoni continues his rehabilitation from an ACL injury. Liverpool will now await further assessment on Gomez's condition before continuing their pre-season schedule, with matches against Wrexham and other tour opponents still to come.