Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Sunderland as Dominik Szoboszlai and 7 more impress
Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Sunderland as Dominik Szoboszlai and 5 more of Andoni Iraola’s players impressed, but some others missed the chance to lay a marker
00:57, 26 Jul 2026Updated 01:09, 26 Jul 2026
Liverpool forward Rio Ngumoha in action against Sunderland in Nashville.(Image: Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Liverpool kicked off the Andoni Iraola era with a win over Premier League team Sunderland in Nashville, with Dominik Szoboszlai among those to impress, alongside a host of youngsters.
Nineteen-year-old Kieran Morrison cut inside and fired into the far corner early in the first half, but only after Joe Gomez handed the Reds another injury scare, seemingly going off with a muscle issue seven minutes in. Enzo Le Fee had leveled before the half-hour mark.
Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa found the back of the net in the second half, either side of a neat finish from Timur Tuterov, in an entertaining clash filled with plenty of goals. Lewis Koumas added his name to the scoresheet late on.
Winners
Kieran Morrison scored and Harvey Elliott will have been glad to be involved again, but it was center-back duo Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe that stood out the most. They looked very composed and well-positioned at the back, slotting straight in with much more senior players around them. Both are likely to head out on loan; this was proof they are too good for a year in the U21s.
Losers
Of those who played a part here, there was no one who would have exited the field too frustrated with their performance. Gomez, though, will be worrying about his fitness again.
With Jeremy Jacquet missing here as a precaution, Conor Bradley not set to be back for a good while yet, Giovanni Leoni still working on his recovery, and Virgil van Dijk on holiday at the moment, the defensive ranks are threadbare. Iraola said as much last week, and it needs to be sorted.
Player ratings
Giorgi Mamardashvili (6). The small number of things that he needed to do, he did without fuss. Could do nothing with the long-range effort that flew past him, nor the close-range strike that put Sunderland in front.
Jeremie Frimpong (6). Needing to lay down a bit of a marker following a mixed debut campaign, he wasn’t that involved, in truth. There was one strong burst of speed down the right but the cross that followed was easily headed away. Slipped and lost possession for Sunderland’s second.
Joe Gomez (n/a). Captaining the team, he lasted just seven minutes before going off with an injury. Hopefully, for him and for the team, it isn’t a bad one.
Mor Talla Ndiaye (7). Only 18, the center-back looked very composed on the ball in the main, even though there were a couple of very minor concentration lapses. Very promising and didn’t look overawed.
Kostas Tsimikas (6). Back at Liverpool after a year at AS Roma, he didn’t do much effectively going forward. Steady enough at the back without being spectacular.
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Curtis Jones (7). Operating as the deepest midfielder, he was often the man to start attacks. Overhit one free-kick but generally showed his typical composure on the ball and desire to be involved in everything.
James McConnell (6). A talent that Arne Slot was a big fan of, he showed why here with some good play under pressure. Fairly lively with the ball and got back in well defensively but lost the ball for the Le Fee goal.
Harvey Elliott (6). Could this be the start of a revival for the Reds’ number 19? He was neat and tidy on the ball, without being as involved as he would have ideally wanted. As a back-up to Florian Wirtz, there should be a role for him, but he will need to do more.
Kieran Morrison (7). The best player at U21 level last term, he picked up right where he left off. Took his goal very well and was lively down the right flank, where he was cool and composed.
Rio Ngumoha (7). One of the few bright sparks from last season, the teenager was involved in the opening goal when he drifted inside. At times, he very much looked like a senior player in a team full of youngsters and notably sprinted back to help defend a few times.
Will Wright (5). Signed from Salford City last summer, Wright is a big physical presence. He pressed pretty well but wasn’t hugely involved on this occasion, with more work to be done on his hold-up and link-up play.
Substitutes
Ifeanyi Ndukwe (7). Entering the game early on, he slotted straight in and looked at home right away. Physically imposing, some of his passing was excellent.
Milos Kerkez (6). Injected some more pace and energy down the left side and was involved a few times. Didn’t have much to do defensively.
Trey Nyoni (7). One of the young stars who should be aiming for more minutes in the coming months, he was ultra-composed; one of his first touches was a backheeled 15-yard pass. Confident and silky on the ball and clearly determined to leave an impression.
Dominik Szoboszlai (7). Tackled and pressed well, showing plenty of intensity. Scored an outrageous goal and was the captain in the second period.
Federico Chiesa (7). The Italian has been at Liverpool for two years now but is yet to make himself a regular in the starting XI. Could that change under Iraola? It seems unlikely. Chiesa lacks speed and that showed once more here but took his goal well. Technically very good, but physically lacking at the very top level, as much as he was lively.
Lewis Koumas (7). A good turn from the young Wales forward led to the second Liverpool goal. Got into a couple of good positions where he could have got a shot away a little sooner and learned his lesson when he eventually got on the scoresheet. Couldn’t have done much more.
Calum Scanlon (6). Solid enough in the midfield, playing further upfield than he normally would. Scampered forward to join the attack a couple of times.
Josh Abe (6). Only having turned 16 earlier this month, he was given half an hour here. Lively down the right and clearly a big (if slightly raw) talent.
Luke Chambers (6). A quiet outing for the young defender. He was unfazed by the chance to play but couldn’t leave much of a mark.
Calvin Ramsay (6). Nicely weighted assist for Chiesa to score, but wasn’t on long enough to earn a higher mark.
Freddie Woodman (6). Having penned a new contract recently, he got a third of the game, in which he barely got a touch.
