Liverpool leads Monaco 2-0 at halftime in Anfield pre-season friendly

Liverpool’s summer of big moves is starting to look like it might actually work. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz both found the net in the first half against AS Monaco on August 9, 2026, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead at Anfield in what is Andoni Iraola’s first home match as head coach. How the goals came Isak opened the scoring in the 16th minute, giving Anfield its first proper look at the striker in a red shirt on home soil. Wirtz followed 13 minutes later, converting in the 29th minute to double the advantage before the break. Both players arrived at Liverpool after the World Cup break and had already begun building chemistry during the club’s three-stop pre-season tour of the United States earlier in August. The Monaco friendly was, in many ways, a homecoming showcase for two of the most expensive and anticipated signings of the summer window. Also reintegrated into the matchday squad for this fixture were Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, and Cody Gakpo, players who had been managed carefully through the pre-season schedule. Iraola’s first chapter at Anfield Andoni Iraola was appointed Liverpool’s head coach in June 2026 on a two-year deal, succeeding Arne Slot, who had himself o...