It was an enjoyable trip to Germany for Liverpool as they beat RB Leipzig 5-0 in their latest pre-season friendly, with Darwin Nunez scoring four in the second half.
RB Leipzig 0-5 Liverpool
Pre-season friendly (3), Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
July 21, 2022
Goals
Salah 8′ (assist – Firmino)
Nunez pen 48′
Nunez 51′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
Nunez 68′ (assist – Elliott)
Nunez 90′ (assist – Carvalho)
With two games under their belt following the tour to Asia, Germany beckoned for Jurgen Klopp‘s side as preparations for the season continue to ramp up.
And there were plenty of positives to take from the meeting against Leipzig, with the Reds looking sharp against the German side in their third game of pre-season.
Klopp named a strong XI from the start with the Champions League final back four reunited as part of a lineup that would not look amiss on the opening day at Fulham, Adrian aside.
Mohamed Salah quickly emerged as the key target man and it did not take him long to open the scoring for Liverpool, calmly finishing inside the area having expertly created space for the shot.
Roberto Firmino was the creator in what was an eye-catching 45-minute performance from the Brazilian, who looks leaner and dialled in ahead of an important season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, meanwhile, showed off their turn of pace running toward their own goal to stop Leipzig in their tracks, while also offering plenty of forward thrust.
Half time: RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
The break led to four immediate changes as Liverpool continue to build up to the season opener, with Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Jordan Henderson and Darwin Nunez all introduced.
And it did not take the latter long to have an influence, scoring from the penalty spot after being taken out by the Leipzig ‘keeper, with the spot kick set in motion by smart work from a throw-in.
Alexander-Arnold said goals will come “like London buses” for Nunez and that was certainly the case in Germany, as just two minutes later the right-back set up the No. 27 for his second in just three minutes thanks to a tidy finish.
The hour mark saw another wave of changes made by Klopp, with Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho two of the seven substitutions that also saw youngsters Harvey Davies and Stefan Bajcetic handed more minutes.
The latter set the fourth goal, Nunez’s hat-trick, in motion, thanks to his persistence to win the ball back and drive toward the box, with Elliott then able to tee up the No. 27.
The performance had Liverpool’s coaches smiling with delight on the bench as the Reds continued to push all the way until the final whistle, which saw Nunez strike once more to make it four for him and five for the Reds on the night.
Liverpool: Adrian (Davies 60′); Alexander-Arnold (Milner 60′), Konate (Matip 46′), Van Dijk (Gomez 60′), Robertson (Tsimikas (46′); Fabinho (Bajcetic 60′), Thiago (Jones 60′), Keita (Henderson 46′); Salah (Elliott 60′), Firmino (Nunez 46′), Diaz (Carvalho 60′)
Subs not used: Hughes, Phillips, Mabaya, Van den Berg, Morton
Next match: Salzburg (N) – Pre-season friendly – Wednesday, July 27, 7pm (BST)
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