Arne Slot secured his first victory as Liverpool manager with a 1-0 win over Real Betis, thanks to an excellent finish by Dominik Szoboszlai in Pittsburgh.
The Reds had previously suffered a 1-0 defeat to Preston in a behind-closed-doors friendly at their training ground earlier this month, but the post-Jurgen Klopp era is now officially underway with their first win on their US tour.
Hungarian midfielder Szoboszlai opened the scoring after 34 minutes, sweeping in a through ball from Mohamed Salah. Meanwhile, Betis striker Juanmi missed two chances in front of a crowd of 42,679 fans.
Liverpool lost midfielder Curtis Jones at the half-hour mark, with Slot stating it was too early to determine the severity of the injury.
The Reds are set to face Arsenal in Philadelphia on Thursday, followed by a match against Manchester United in Columbia on Sunday, August 4.
How did Liverpool play?
Slot has taken over from Klopp, who was in charge for nine years, and the German’s often dubbed ‘heavy metal football’ appeared more like soft rock under their new Dutch manager.
The changes in style were evident in a fluid 4-2-4 formation, with the Reds playing without a striker.
This adjustment was partly due to limited personnel, but Klopp’s signature gegenpressing approach shifted to a slower, possession-based style, typically favored by Johan Cruyff-influenced Dutch coaches.
Slot delivered his instructions from the technical area at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ half-full Acrisure Stadium, constantly repositioning players with hand gestures and measured shouts.
Harvey Elliott and Szoboszlai alternated in the attacking midfielder number 10 role, meaning Liverpool played without a traditional striker for most of the game.
“I think during the season you will see us playing with a real striker but at this moment we have no-one with Darwin [Nunez] unavailable,” Slot said.
“We played with two number 10s and put them in the position they will play during the season. That was maybe out of necessity.
“But for the rest of the style of play, we tried to build from the back, that is our style to control the game, not concede constant counter attacks.
“That will hopefully be our style during the season and there were also many things we can improve but that’s normal after two weeks.”
The approach resembled the successful tactical strategy employed by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in the FA Cup final, where Bruno Fernandes played up front in the victory against Manchester City.
For Liverpool, this method proved effective despite their limited number of senior players. They dominated the early stages with shots from Fabio Carvalho, Salah, and Wataru Endo, though from challenging positions. Harvey Elliott missed the first clear opportunity from a good Conor Bradley cutback, before Szoboszlai’s goal.
The second half was less eventful for spectators as the introduction of several young players disrupted the rhythm. Nabil Fekir struck the side netting from a promising free-kick position, and Carvalho had a shot saved by former Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian before being substituted.
Overall, it was a crucial exercise in building fitness and familiarizing Slot’s style with his players, supporters, and the football world ahead of the new Premier League season.
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