Darwin Núñez netted a hat-trick in the 14th minute of the first half as Liverpool triumphed over Stoke City with a decisive 5-0 victory in a closed-door friendly on Sunday.
This summer, amid speculation about a potential transfer away from Anfield, Núñez quickly established Liverpool’s dominance, scoring three goals within the first 20 minutes.
Lingmoja and Federico Chiesa added their names to the score sheet after an impressive performance by Arne Slot’s team at Liverpool’s AXA training facility.
Florian Wirtz, who recently transferred to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee, featured in a strong first-half lineup that also included Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah.
At halftime, Liverpool made ten substitutions, bringing in Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo, Kostas Tsimikas, and Ryan Gravenberch, as well as new signings Milos Kerkes and Jeremy Frimpong.
Alisson Becker was replaced by Armin Peksic shortly before the interval, with Giorgi Mamardashvili taking over in goal for Liverpool.
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Meanwhile, ESPN has reported that Liverpool has yet to finalize a deal with Frankfurt regarding Hugo Ekitike’s potential transfer. The club is still in talks to bolster their attacking options.
Another target, Alexander Isak, missed Newcastle United’s 4-0 loss in their preseason match on Saturday, with manager Eddie Howe citing transfer speculation as the reason for his absence. However, Howe expressed optimism about Isak’s future with Newcastle amidst interest from Liverpool.
On Sunday evening, Liverpool announced a 29-man squad for their preseason tour in Asia. Lewis Diaz was included following his absence from the friendly, but Chiesa was not listed. Last week, ESPN reported Liverpool had successfully secured Chiesa despite Bayern Munich’s bid of €67.5 million (£58.6 million) being rebuffed.
Liverpool’s first-half lineup consisted of: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Van Dijk, Szoboszlai, Núñez, Salah, Jones, Robertson, Wirtz, Ngumoha, and Nyoni.
Information from ESPN’s Mark Ogden contributed to this report.
Fan Take: This news is significant for soccer fans as it showcases Liverpool’s offensive prowess and the potential impact of their new signings during the preseason. Strong performances like Núñez’s can set the tone for the upcoming season and elevate expectations for Liverpool in the Premier League.
