Andoni Iraola’s tenure as Liverpool manager opened on a bittersweet note Saturday as his team earned a 4-2 preseason victory over fellow Premier League club Sunderland in Nashville, only to lose defender Joe Gomez to an early injury.
The 29-year-old Gomez, who started at center-back and captained Liverpool for the match, was forced off after just eight minutes.
His premature exit dampened what was otherwise an energetic start to Liverpool’s summer tour of the United States, which featured goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas.
Iraola, who arrived from Bournemouth during the close season to replace the sacked Arne Slot, was making his managerial debut on the Liverpool bench.
Speaking after the final whistle, the Spanish manager admitted that losing Gomez was a significant blow to an already depleted squad.
