The final score and reactions to Liverpool's match against Manchester City: The Reds won the 2022 Community Shield thanks to a debut goal from Nunez.
Jurgen Klopp's triumvirate was completed in the Community Shield, which lived up to its billing as a tale of two new strikers thanks to Liverpool's victory over Manchester City.
The Reds won by a score of 3-1, and Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score the winning run. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland had a difficult time adjusting to the pressures of his first competitive game.
Liverpool started off strong in this year's Premier League title vs. FA Cup final, with players like Mo Salah and Jordan Henderson having a field day down the right side.
The Reds scored through Trent Alexander-Arnold after a first half full of understandable misplaced passes, poor touches, and minor lapses in concentration. His shot curled out to the far post and in, giving Liverpool a lead they deserved. The goal was created in large part because both Alexander-Arnold and Salah, who set up the goal, were given too much space to work with.
City got on the board in the second half and tied it up thanks to a goal from new signing Julian Alvarez of Argentina. It took video review to overturn an offside call, but with 20 minutes left, Phil Foden's first-time shot was parried by Adrian to Alvarez, who made no mistake.
Liverpool regained the upper hand after Pep Guardiola's men staged a brief comeback and threatened to tighten the screws. VAR was used once again to award a penalty kick after a header from Nunez struck the hand of Ruben Dias. Salah took a few steps forward and sent it crashing down to Ederson's left.
Even so, Nunez's head was slated to play a pivotal role once more as he stooped low to bring the show to a spectacular close. After being showered with ovations all afternoon, the centre forward finally got to take off his shirt in joyous solidarity with the crowd. Have a discussion with him about whether or not this game is competitive.
Despite losing the Community Shield on penalties to Arsenal and City in his first two seasons as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has now won every trophy up for grabs. He has put together one of the world's top two teams, and it's too bad that the other is City.
Klopp has laid down an early marker in the next chapter of this thrilling rivalry after narrowly missing out on the title to Guardiola on the final day of last season and failing to win any of his last five games against the Citizens in the Premier League.
Initial hiccups for Haaland
Haaland, a hardly believable 22 years old, was the focus of everyone's attention. His sheer size will unnerve many central defenders this year. Even so, neither Virgil van Dijk nor Joel Matip were frightened in Leicester.
Haaland needs time to develop, but he has a good chance of becoming the deciding factor in a title race that will undoubtedly again be decided by the slimmest of margins. It's not like we can just plug a big, strong striker into a formation meant for a traditional No. 9 and start lobbing balls at him. The Norwegian appeared to be struggling with Guardiola's system.
As a result, Kevin De Bruyne became frustrated when he wasn't sure whether he should stay or leave. Haaland got caught in a limbo and didn't do much to engage Liverpool's defense.
Both Henderson and Andy Robertson were easily brushed aside by him on two separate occasions. With Jack Grealish (who was also subpar tonight) and Riyad Mahrez, he has a lot to learn to improve his movement and understanding.
After dispatching Robertson, he had one shot on goal in the first half, a left-footed slide that was saved by Adrian. Then, right before halftime, he snatched at a cross in the air and missed a golden opportunity.
After halftime, he still couldn't find a way to impact the game, as he was easily handled and overshadowed by Foden and Alvarez. His best chance came in extra time, and while it wouldn't have changed the outcome, it still felt monumental.
It wouldn't have solved the problem or improved the performance as a whole, but it would have lifted everyone's spirits. Haaland picked up the loose ball with a wide open goal after Adrian had gone to ground to block a shot from Foden. The former Borussia Dortmund player's shot went over the crossbar, to the delight of the Merseyside crowd.
Guardiola played down any concern in his postgame press conference, with the faint sound of Liverpool players shouting "ole" and banging makeshift drums a few rooms down: "He had chances. A lot of fights occurred in his life. The man was acting out.
To see the reality of a new country will help him to better understand it and its people. He's got a lot going for him, and it's all good. He'll get it done. He is incredibly perceptive. He will be of great assistance to us. He was available; he had opportunities.
Thiago gaining ground as Liverpool maintains its right flank dominance.
If you're a fan of football, you should watch Thiago Alcantara play. This is a given, yes. There are many people who consider him to be "overrated," so whenever this is mentioned online, they respond with ridicule. However, it is pure pleasure to watch him perform.
It was widely expected that players would be slightly off the pace due to the shortened preseason, but Thiago looked like he was in midseason form. The horrifying injury record means Liverpool may only get him for half the games, but those games will be full of mesmerizing control of the ball. Given those health concerns, it is a huge and unexpected boost for Klopp that the Spanish international already appears to be at the level expected of him.
Some of his first-time passes were beautiful, like the ones that set up Alexander-goal. Arnold's Thiago looked incredible as he extended the play, kept the ball moving in a very tight space, and drove forward by finding gaps where nobody else saw them. The biggest cheers were for his defensive contributions, especially when he barged Kyle Walker to preserve possession.
City, who had played two fewer preseason games than Liverpool, looked disjointed in the midfield against Thiago's dominant performance. The Reds' success down their left flank for the entire match should cause more concern.
It was difficult for Grealish, Rodri, and Cancelo to work together. Cancelo, in particular, was repeatedly thrown off his position and responsible for good chances for Liverpool that were wasted. He seemed to take the No. 7 too literally when deciding where to conduct his operations now that he wore it. The season opener for the Portuguese was summed up by the few balls that went out of play after bouncing off his body.
Salah was an intimidating foe, and Cancelo had no chance against him. Salah blew past Cancelo as often as he gave him twisted blood on the dribble. The signing of the Egyptian King to a new contract was the highlight of the summer for Liverpool fans, and he appeared focused and determined as he prepared to spend the remainder of 2022 winning the individual honors that mean so much to him.
Salah was a whirlwind on the right wing, often engaging in a one-on-one game with Henderson, who occasionally drifted out there to good effect. The captain was a major catalyst, creating scoring opportunities and putting City on the ropes all game long.
Life after Mane: Still Full of Promise
Liverpool would have lost twice in the league and been eliminated from the FA Cup semi-finals to City if not for Sadio Mane's goals last season. Worry over his departure and its effect on a very close rivalry was understandable, despite the fact that his goals don't even tell half the story.
Roberto Firmino didn't look capable of filling the central void despite the unwavering support of the Liverpool faithful throughout the first half; Mane had, after all, effectively replaced the Brazilian by moving inside last season, and it was clear that Nunez's quick adaptation was crucial.
Midway through the second half, the Uruguayan showed effort by joining the game and appearing to be in sync with the Reds' midfielders as he latched onto through balls and engaged in physical battles with the opposing center-backs.
Through winning the penalty and scoring on a header, he ended up being instrumental in the outcome of the match. At the final whistle, he collapsed to his knees, overcome with happiness and relief. Earlier in the season, when Nunez made his preseason debut against Manchester United, Andy Carroll became a social media trend. It would have been easy for the pressure to begin to build.
In his postgame press conference, Klopp shot down the early criticism, saying, "[The debut was] good." Excellent work. It was evident that he would recover eventually. On first glance, he won't win any friends. It was all a big joke [the criticism during preseason]. The effect of the bench was truly remarkable.
