Liverpool's first-half spark fades in Leeds collapse

Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool ended their US tour with a 4-2 defeat to Leeds, and the result was defined by a brutal second-half collapse after a promising opening 45 minutes. Liverpool were excellent before the break, but they conceded four times in 25 minutes after halftime and finished the game looking alarmingly vulnerable.

The first half was arguably Liverpool’s best since Iraola took charge. Luke Chambers struck early, Florian Wirtz doubled the lead with a fine team goal, and the returning Alexander Isak looked sharp as Liverpool pressed well and moved the ball with confidence.

After the interval, though, the tone changed completely. Iraola made a raft of substitutions, but the drop in intensity was severe, and Leeds punished an inexperienced back line that featured Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Kostas Tsimikas. Liverpool’s set-piece issues also reappeared, and senior players such as Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa failed to set the right standard.

The match may still prove useful for Iraola in the long run because it exposed exactly where the squad is thin. He has already said he dislikes August because of the uncertainty around transfers, and this performance should sharpen his thinking before he meets Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker, Victor Munoz and the rest of the first team at the AXA Training Centre.

There were individual positives to take. Trey Nyoni continued an impressive pre-season and may well stay rather than go on loan, while Rio Ngumoha caused problems from the left and Wirtz and Isak both offered the kind of quality Liverpool will need once the season begins. But the bigger picture is clear: the first half showed Iraola’s idea, the second half showed how much work remains.