On target: Darwin Nunez
Taking place just 10 days after Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car accident, the tie was as much a memorial as it was a friendly. Red No20 shirts pockmarked every stand, while the away contingent brought with them an impressive number of commemorative flags
There was not a dry eye in the ground, nor an arm without goosebumps, as Claudia Rose Maguire serenaded the 22,189 in attendance with an emotional rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ - a tear-jerker at the best of times, but even more so given the circumstances of the day.
Jota and Silva were memorialised throughout the tie
Arne Slot was provided a full audit of his squad on this sunny Lancashire afternoon, as 22 Reds players took to the pitch at Deepdale, though new British record signing Florian Wirtz was notably absent.
After a minute of silence, Liverpool started the tie on top, with Rio Ngumoah and Dominik Szoboszlai the driving forces in attack. The Hungarian stood out as particularly sharp in a side still blunted by disrupted preseason training, picking smart passes and providing a crucial link between the lines.
Preston grew into the tie, bolstered in no small part by the newly signed Thierry Small’s marauding runs down the left flank. This would not be the straightforward preseason warmup Liverpool might had hoped for.
But neither side could find a breakthrough ahead of the half-hour water break.
Not that the red-shirted travelling fans in the Bill Shankly Kop needed anything to sing about. They were vocal throughout the half, swelling on the 20-minute mark into a full-throated memorial dirge for Jota.
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And perhaps spurred on by the music, Liverpool opened the scoring shortly after through Conor Bradley. The live wire Ngumoah beat his man and shuffled into the area before being dispossessed by his teammate Federico Chiesa. The Italian’s deflected shot fell to Szoboszlai, who also misfired before the ball fell to Bradley to tap home at the far post.
Debutant: Jeremie Frimpong makes his Liverpool bow
Slot made eleven changes at the break, heralding debuts for Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, but it would be another man of transfer intrigue who doubled Liverpool’s lead.
Darwin Nunez, heavily linked with a move away this summer, latched onto a loose backpass and finished after rounding the keeper. He celebrated in Jota’s signature fashion, sitting cross-legged on the grass with an imaginary video-game controller in hand.
Liverpool remained on top through the closing stages, save for a pair of squandered Preston counter-attacks. Kerkez appeared composed in his Liverpool bow, while Gakpo also returned from the summer break with his shooting boots freshly relaced, though his finishing was a touch rusty.
Preston pulled back a deserved consolation goal as the clock wound down, and were unlucky not to equalise as Freddie Woodman, freshly signed from Preston, floundered on his Liverpool debut, much to the delight of the home support.
But Gakpo was there to ensure Liverpool ended the day with a two-goal advantage, slotting home from close range as the clock wound down to ensure Liverpool’s winning return to the pitch.
There is still much for this team to work out before the Premier League campaign begins next month, but this will result set them well on the road to recovery.