Liverpool squander two-goal lead again as Monaco win 3-2 in Iraola's Anfield debut

Iraola's Anfield bow ends in defeat

Andoni Iraola's first home match as Liverpool head coach ended in a 3-2 defeat to Monaco on Sunday 9 August, the second consecutive pre-season friendly in which his side surrendered a two-goal advantage. Liverpool had beaten Wrexham and Sunderland during a pre-season tour of the United States before losing 4-2 to Leeds United earlier in August. The pattern repeated against Monaco: a bright first half gave way to a disjointed second as Iraola and Monaco's Felipe Luis made wholesale substitutions.

Alexander Isak opened the scoring after 16 minutes, finishing calmly into the bottom left corner from a pass by Ryan Gravenberch, who had exchanged a one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai. Liverpool's second came on 29 minutes from a goalmouth scramble, with Florian Wirtz initially credited before the BBC reported that Isak claimed the final touch. Monaco halved the deficit before half-time when Aleksandr Golovin converted a penalty won after a foul by Virgil van Dijk. Mika Biereth equalised 11 minutes into the second half, scoring at the second attempt after Giorgi Mamardashvili had saved his first effort. Paris Brunner headed in a corner on 88 minutes to complete the turnaround.

Iraola frustrated by dropping levels

Iraola, who joined Liverpool in June after Arne Slot was sacked, told LFCTV that his players could not sustain the required intensity across 90 minutes. Liverpool's starting XI featured Alisson, Van Dijk and Cody Gakpo making their first appearances since the World Cup.

We played really good first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably we don't have much more in terms of the level required to play like this.

As soon as we have made some changes they start to get tired, we cannot sustain that level, so we have work to do.

Iraola also confirmed that Curtis Jones was absent due to a hip problem, saying it "didn't make sense to risk" the midfielder. The coach added that new signing Jérémy Jacquet was close to a return but had been held back as a precaution.

Defensive recruitment still unfinished

Liverpool's defensive options remain thin. Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni are still sidelined, and Conor Bradley is injured. Ronald Araujo, a Uruguay international, flew into the UK on Sunday morning for a medical ahead of a season-long loan move from Barcelona, providing cover at centre-back or right-back. The deal was not yet complete as of Sunday evening.

Jacquet, signed from Rennes for a fee reported as £60m by the New York Times and £50m by the Guardian, has not featured since arriving due to a knee problem. Iraola said he was "in doubt whether to pick him today" but expected the French defender to be fit for next Sunday's friendly double-header against Como at Anfield, with games at 12pm and 6pm BST.

Isak and Wirtz show promise

Despite the defeat, the performances of Isak and Wirtz offered encouragement. The pair cost Liverpool more than £225m in the summer of 2025 and both endured difficult debut seasons at Anfield, with Isak scoring only twice at Anfield in his first campaign. Against Monaco, Wirtz operated as Iraola's No 10, a role he alternated between under Slot, and was rated the home side's best performer by the BBC with a mark of 8. Isak, also rated 8, took his opener well and was involved in the build-up to the second goal.

Ndukwe impresses but faces loan away

Ifeanyi Ndukwe, an 18-year-old centre-back who arrived from Austria Vienna in a £2.5m deal in January, was composed and commanding in the first half alongside Van Dijk. However, Ndukwe cannot play competitive football for Liverpool in 2026-27 after failing to qualify for a work permit, and a season-long loan away is expected, with Liverpool weighing up offers from across Europe following his eye-catching performances on the pre-season tour of the United States.

Liverpool's Premier League campaign begins at Newcastle United on 23 August. With transfer activity described as dragging its heels in the Guardian, Iraola has two more fixtures against Como next Sunday to address the issues before the season starts in earnest.