Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Orme

Liverpool winners and losers as Darwin Nunez sizzles but Ibrahima Konate makes mistakes

Liverpool made it back-to-back pre-season wins on Thursday as they brushed aside RB Leipzig in Germany.

The Reds made an ideal start to the game in Germany as Mohamed Salah profited from slack defending from the hosts before driving home into the bottom corner. Darwin Nunez then doubled the lead minutes after the break as Luis Diaz was felled in the penalty area - the Uruguayan striker then netting his first Liverpool goal from the penalty spot.

The ex-Benfica frontman then doubled his evening's work with a lethal finish after being released in-behind by Trent Alexander-Arnold. He then the bagged two more with a couple of close-range efforts in the second-half.

Here, Mirror Sport takes a look at who in the Liverpool side have stood themselves in good stead going forwards, with others having not done themselves many favours.

Winners

Darwin Nunez

There's only one place to start and that's with Liverpool's potential record signing. Since his big-money switch to Anfield from Benfica, the Uruguayan was yet to find the back of the net, with a few glaring misses against Manchester United and Crystal Palace seeing opposition supporters poking fun at him.

He finally appears to have arrived at the club though with four goals at the Red Bull Arena. His first was from the penalty spot - his effort being given quite literally a huge helping hand from Leipzig stopper Janis Blaswich. Nunez's second was pure quality as he ran in behind the German outfit's defence before spearing a shot into the far corner.

He then secured two more strikes with two close range efforts. Having finally notched his first goals for the Reds, Nunez will certainly be relieved and will now be able to continue going about his business without a severe magnifying glass on his performances.

Darwin Nunez bagged four in Leipzig (Getty Images)

Where do you think Liverpool will finish in the Premier League this season? Share your predictions in the comments below

Mohamed Salah

It goes without saying that Salah will be looking to be at the top end of the Premier League goalscoring charts next season and considering his form before the campaign, there is no reason as to why he won’t do that.

After scoring against Crystal Palace last time out, he followed that up with another early strike in Leipzig. Showing his typically predatory instincts, he was well on hand to assist in stealing the ball from the Leipzig defence before getting on the end of Roberto Firmino's cute pass to the arrow the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

After sharpening his shooting boots once more, Salah will more than likely be in a confident mood to continue his hot form once the competitive action kicks off against Fulham in less than two weeks’ time.

Harvey Elliott

Speaking of a Reds' winger, Elliott simply looks to be a ready-made option for Jurgen Klopp's system. He was introduced midway through the second-half and was immediately on hand to tee Nunez up for his hat-trick goal.

Not only was he effective in attacking positions, the former Fulham starlet was a key cog of the Liverpool press as he constantly harried the RB Leipzig defence.

With a serious ankle injury putting his season on the buffers last time out, Elliott will no doubt be keen to get even more minutes throughout pre-season and eventually earn himself a place in the side as the competitive action gets underway.

Darwin Nunez combined very well with Harvey Elliott (Getty Images)

Losers

Ibrahima Konate

Upon his return to his former club, the promising young Frenchman endured somewhat of a shaky evening. While Liverpool were not tested all that much from a defensive standpoint by the hosts, he did look vulnerable to the counter-attack.

He almost handed Leipzig an equaliser before the end of the first-half as his poor touch was picked up by reigning Bundesliga player of the year Christopher Nkunku. Adrian bailed out his teammate with a fine save.

Konate was substituted at the break for fellow defender Joel Matip with Klopp once again having a tricky decision to make over his centre-back pairing heading into the new season.

Ibrahima Konate has a battle on his hand for a starting berth next season (Getty Images)

Roberto Firmino

With Liverpool having elected to have splashed the cash on Nunez this summer, it always looked like that Firmino would see his opportunities limited next season. Whilst he started in Germany, it is clear why the Reds chose to bring the former to the club.

The former Hoffenheim man was full of his usual vim and vigour, whilst his understanding with Salah was once again clear to see. As soon as he was substituted for Nunez though, Liverpool immediately have far more of a goal threat from central positions.

There will always be a role for Firmino at Anfield but it is not unfair to say that it has now waned.

Alisson

It might feel strange to have a player who didn't feature in a game feature in this list but the longer Alisson Becker 's absence goes on, the more Liverpool will worry. The Brazilian missed the trip to Germany through injury and whilst he is no doubt a world-class stopper, any pre-season minutes would be valuable to him getting back in the swing of things before the season kicks off.

Liverpool now have just one friendly remaining before their Community Shield clash with Manchester City so Alisson will be wanting to get some practice time in before then.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.