Liverpool Dominates Stoke City in Friendly, Wirtz Debuts

Darwin Nunez showcased his scoring ability with a first-half hat-trick as Liverpool cruised to a 5-0 victory over Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Sunday. The match provided an opportunity for squad rotation and the debut of a high-profile signing.

Nunez, previously associated with potential moves to Napoli, Al-Hilal, and Bayern Munich, propelled Liverpool to a 3-0 lead within the initial 20 minutes. Rio Ngumoha added to the scoreline with a shot that took a deflection, while Federico Chiesa also found the net, contributing to Arne Slot’s team’s commanding performance at Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre.

Florian Wirtz, recently acquired from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee, marked his first appearance for Liverpool in the friendly.

At halftime, a series of substitutions saw Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo, Kostas Tsimikas, and Ryan Gravenberch enter the game, alongside new additions Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, as Liverpool implemented a total of 10 changes.

Giorgi Mamardashvili began the match as Liverpool’s goalkeeper before Ármin Pécsi took over. Alisson Becker was given a rest for the match.

Separately, reports indicate Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike in a deal valued at over £78m ($105m), with the potential to rise to £82m ($110m).

Liverpool’s initial target was Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak; however, after Newcastle rejected the offer, Ekitike became their primary target. Isak was absent from United’s 4-0 defeat to Celtic on Saturday. According to Manager Eddie Howe, this absence was due to speculation surrounding his future, though he expressed confidence that Isak would remain at Newcastle despite Liverpool’s interest.

First Half XI:

Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Nyoni, Jones, Wirtz; Salah, Nunez, Ngumoha.

Second Half XI:

Mamardashvili (Pecsi 59′); Bradley, Konate, Tsimikas, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Endo, Gakpo; Frimpong, Doak (Stephenson 74′), Chiesa.

Subs not used: Misciur, Pilling

Goals: Nunez (3), Ngumoha, Chiesa