August 05, (THEWILL) — Liverpool defeated Athletic Club for the second time on Monday at Anfield, with manager Arne Slot selecting a more experienced lineup for the finale.
The match began at a frenetic pace compared to the previous encounter between the two sides. Notably, Liverpool club captain Virgil van Dijk was absent from the squad due to illness, forcing a defensive reshuffle for the home side.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 14th minute after Liverpool applied intense pressure on the Athletic Club defence. Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, and Hugo Ekitiké combined effectively to carve open the visitors before Ekitiké found Salah free in the penalty area.
The Egyptian forward made no mistake with his finish, placing the ball beyond the goalkeeper. Ekitiké particularly impressed during the opening 20 minutes, occupying space on the left flank and looking to cut inside as Gakpo positioned himself on the edge of the box.
In keeping with the first fixture, play paused in the 20th minute to honour the late Diogo Jota and André Silva. Athletic Club drew level through Oihan Sancet in the 29th minute, capitalising on defensive frailties during a set piece.
The equaliser would have concerned Slot, who had seen both of his squads display defensive vulnerabilities despite their positive performance in other aspects of play throughout the doubleheader.
The second half saw Liverpool demonstrate their counter-attacking threat with dynamic full backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong causing problems.
Ekitiké nearly extended Liverpool’s lead during one such transition before the Reds scored their second from the resulting corner.
A short routine involving Ryan Gravenberch ended with the midfielder’s low-driven shot being saved, only for Gakpo to tap in the rebound.
Gakpo later scored an own goal from a Maroan Sannadi effort during a corner but redeemed himself six minutes later with his second goal of the match.
Former Salford City striker Will Wright made his Anfield debut in the second half, replacing Wirtz.
Salah had an opportunity to double his tally in the 80th minute but sent his penalty over the crossbar.
The contest concluded 3-2 in Liverpool’s favour, with the Reds now turning their attention to the Community Shield on Sunday against Crystal Palace.
The victory provided a positive conclusion to their pre-season preparations despite some defensive concerns that Slot will need to address before the competitive campaign begins.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
