Liverpool player ratings v Yokohama – Wirtz stuns, 4/10 drops clanger
Liverpool secured a 3-1 win over Yokohama Marinos to complete their Asian tour.
Arne Slot’s side were looking to bounce back from a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan (26 July), but they fell behind in the 55th minute at the Nissan Stadium.
The Premier League champions came back, with Florian Wirtz grabbing an equaliser and Trey Nyoni connecting with Jeremie Frimpong’s cross to put the Reds in front.
Ultimately, the Merseysiders would prove too strong for the Japanese minnows, who sit third from bottom in the J-League, with Rio Ngumoha bagging a wonderful third.
Wirtz shines in Liverpool victory v Yokohama
Liverpool signed Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £100million, which could rise to £116m, and therefore there is plenty of expectations attached.
The 22-year-old notched his first Reds goal in the clash to level the scores after the hosts had taken the lead.
Mohamed Salah’s pass was flicked on by Curtis Jones, who found the German in acres of space, and he put the ball in the corner, out of reach for Il-Kyu-Park.
It was the culmination of a fine performance from the former Koln man, and the hope will be that he can replicate it when the season starts properly.
- Wirtz bagged his first goal for his new club in the win against the J League side.
Konate caught out in Liverpool win
Ibrahima Konate emerged as one of the best defenders in world football after shaking his injury issues, but he did not show it on this occasion.
The Frenchman was caught out of position for the opening goal, and Asahi Uenaka ultimately slotted home from the area of the box, which he should have been guarding.
Slot will hope that the ongoing contract saga will not affect the 26-year-old’s form heading into the new season, with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain sniffing around.
He cannot afford to carry passengers, especially at centre-back, given that Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are the only senior options at his disposal.
- Konate is currently out of contract next summer and there has been no progress on a new deal.
How Liverpool players rated v Yokohama Marinos
Giorgi Mamardashvili – 6
Conor Bradley – 5
Ibrahima Konate – 4
Virgil van Dijk – 6
Milos Kerkez – 5
Ryan Gravenberch – 5
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6
Florian Wirtz – 8
Mohamed Salah – 7
Cody Gakpo – 6
Hugo Ekitike – 5
Substitutes:
Curtis Jones – 6
Darwin Nunez – 5
Wataru Endo – 6
Alexis Mac Allister – 6
Trey Nyoni – 7
Rio Ngumoha – 7
Jeremie Frimpong – 7
Andy Robertson – 6
Kostas Tsimikas – 6
Harvey Elliott – 6
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