Liverpool suffered a second consecutive pre-season defeat as Monaco came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Anfield, with a late header from substitute Paris Brunner sealing the victory and exposing familiar defensive issues under new manager Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard, taking his first home game in charge, watched his side race into a two-goal lead through Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz before Monaco stormed back in an increasingly disjointed second half following widespread substitutions from both benches.
Isak opened the scoring in the 16th minute, finishing smartly into the corner after a slick exchange between Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai released the Swedish forward. It marked just the fourth time Anfield supporters have seen Isak find the net in any capacity. Wirtz doubled the advantage shortly after, pouncing on a rebound following a scramble in the box, having already tested Lukas Hradecky early on.
Monaco hit back before the break when Virgil van Dijk was penalized for a foul on Aleksandr Golovin, who converted the resulting penalty himself to make it 2-1 at halftime.
Iraola made two changes at the interval, bringing on Wataru Endo and Giorgi Mamardashvili, but further wholesale changes just before the hour mark disrupted Liverpool's rhythm. Monaco capitalized, equalizing when Mamardashvili parried a shot from Mika Biereth straight into the path of the striker, who tapped home the rebound.
With the match increasingly stretched by rotations on both sides, Monaco pushed for a winner and got one in the 88th minute, Brunner rising to meet a cross from the left with a firm header.
Speaking afterward, Iraola acknowledged the drop-off in performance once changes were made. "As soon as we have made some changes they start to get tired, we cannot sustain that level, so we have work to do," he told LFCTV. He added that Monaco's improvement mirrored his own team's decline: "They were much better in the second half, in the same way we were better in the first half."
The defeat follows a 4-2 loss to Leeds during pre-season and comes amid a slow-moving transfer window for the Merseyside club. Ronald Araújo's loan move from Barcelona is expected but not yet finalized, while Alexis Mac Allister remains unavailable following World Cup commitments. Iraola opted for a strong lineup against Monaco, with only teenagers Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Lewis Koumas, along with returning loanee Kostas Tsimikas, representing fringe selections.
Jérémy Jacquet, the club's £50m signing from Rennes, was left out as a precaution. "Jérémy, we were in doubt whether to pick him today, should be fine for the next one," Iraola explained. Curtis Jones was also absent due to a hip issue, with the manager stating there was no reason to risk him.
Among the second-half substitutes were Rio Ngumoha, deployed on the right flank once occupied by Mohamed Salah, along with Milos Kerkez and new arrival Víctor Muñoz. Federico Chiesa entered later alongside Harvey Elliott, who received a warm reception from the Anfield crowd following a difficult loan spell at Aston Villa.
Monaco threatened further in the closing stages through Flávio Nazinho and Oumar Konaté before Brunner's decisive intervention. Unlike a competitive fixture, there was no rallying atmosphere to inspire a Liverpool response, and the closing stages lacked urgency.
Liverpool's remaining preparations include a double-header against Como, the first to be played behind closed doors, before Iraola's competitive bow away at Newcastle on August 23. His home league debut follows a week later against Nottingham Forest, giving the manager a fortnight to address the issues on display against Monaco.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.