Andoni Iraola watched Leeds United rally back from two goals down to beat his Liverpool side 4-2 at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago on Sunday evening.
Luke Chambers and Florian Wirtz scored to help Liverpool go into half-time with a 2-0 lead, and looking comfortable against a disjointed Leeds performance in Chicago.
However, Daniel Farke’s side roared back emphatically after the break, and Brenden Aaronson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sean Longstaff scored to help the Whites beat Liverpool in the pre-season friendly
It was a brilliant performance in the second half and with more players expected to join in the coming weeks, Leeds fans have reasons to be optimistic about the 2026/27 season.
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Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola reacts to the defeat against Leeds
Liverpool are hoping to challenge for the Premier League title again next season under new manager Andoni Iraola, after last year’s underpar performance.
However, the performance on Sunday evening exposed a few frailties of their squad, and Iraola conceded that the Leeds United result is a good lesson for his team ahead of the new season.
He indicated that his team needed the defeat against the Whites as it would prove more useful for them ahead of the start of the Premier League campaign next month.
“I think we learn a lot of things”, he told Liverpool’s official website.
“Obviously it’s not the result you want, but I think [it was] probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half.
“I think we’ve learned a lot from today, and I think we can take good conclusions and solve some things.”
Leeds have one big worry
Daniel Farke can take lots of positives from his side’s pre-season games in the United States, especially after the result against Liverpool.
However, the Leeds boss has a major worry after Gabriel Gudmundsson picked up an injury during the win over the Premier League giants.
Leeds will assess his injury in the coming days and determine its extent. However, he is still the only recognised left-back in the squad ahead of the new season.
The injury is likely to force Leeds to sign proper full-back cover rather than depend on James Justin to play a similar role to last season.
Leeds also cannot afford to depend on Jayden Lienou to step up. He is talented, but the 18-year-old can’t be the only back-up to Gudmundsson in the Leeds squad.
