ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool seemed to use up all its entertainment for the day in the first match at Anfield against Sevilla, with very little happening in the second against Las Palmas.
Key players like Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott struggled to get involved that much and there were few chances for either side. Darwin Nunez found the back of the net but he was offside — a theme of his Liverpool career to date.
There were a few good moments but the changed team that Arne Slot fielded was unable to provide anything like the same sweeping attacking quality. It was a tight contest with nothing between the pair.
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Winners
There were not many that stood out here with the main benefit being the minutes that players got into their legs. Andy Robertson was good and looks ready to come back into the team. Others may have wanted to do a little bit more. Conor Bradley was fairly bright but it will be hard for him to get past Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Losers
Sepp van den Berg not being involved from the beginning, with Nat Phillips preferred in the starting XI, was probably not a great sign for where he stands in the pecking order. There were no "losers" here but many would have wanted to put down more of a marker than what they did, it would probably be fair to say.
Player ratings
Caoimhin Kelleher (6). Made a mess of one cross when he attempted to catch it but didn't do much else wrong. A minute or so after that mistake, he got down well to make a decent save. Good, as ever, with his feet.
Conor Bradley (7). Got up and down the flank well and put in some strong challenges. He looked lively to a point but just needed a bit more movement in front of him.
Ibrahima Konate (7). Looked good and did well in possession. Put in a couple of important tackles. Comfortably the best of those to play at center-back in this match, as you would expect.
Nat Phillips (6). A typical performance really: limited, but useful in dealing with the threat of Oli McBurnie in the air. The most interesting thing was that he started ahead of Van den Berg.
Andy Robertson (6). Back from injury to captain the side, the Scotland left-back slotted straight back into the team. He looked ready to go again next week and didn't do anything wrong. He also hit the bar with a very good second-half attempt, though he might have been called offside even had it gone in.
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Harvey Elliott (6). Looked a little frustrated at times and came across to speak with Slot on a couple of occasions. Didn't manage to find the same amount of space that he did when facing the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in the USA. Harshly booked when it looked like Alex Munoz instigated a disagreement after being fouled.
Wataru Endo (5). His value is clear in terms of putting a foot in but his limitations in possession are too. Liverpool struggled to play out in the same way that the better personnel did earlier in the day.
Curtis Jones (6). Struggled to get involved and then looked a little rushed and desperate to impress when he did. Not a terribly bad performance but not one that will live long in the memory.
Ben Doak (7). Direct and loves a stepover. Ran into a couple of blind alleys, though, and struggled to get a clean shot or cross away.
Darwin Nunez (6). Made the wrong decision a few times when he should have done a bit more. This was his first appearance of pre-season, though, so we can let him off, but he should have scored at least once and could have set his teammates away a few times.
Cody Gakpo (6). Not particularly involved down the left flank and fluffed his lines with the one big chance he got in the first 45 minutes. Some way off the level of Luis Diaz in the first match.
Substitutes
Calum Scanlon (6). Kept things simple but did well. Filled in at center-back for a short period while Nat Phillips was down with an injury that required treatment.
Amara Nallo (6). Good on the ball and composed. You can't ask for much more from a young talent.
Tyler Morton (6). Blocked a shot that looked to be going in.... but unfortunately it was from Ben Doak. Showed a few good moments but is a long way down the pecking order at Anfield.
Harvey Blair (6). Didn't feature a great deal in the time he was on. Could probably do with a loan move before the end of the window and potentially even a permanent exit.
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