Liverpool suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Monaco in their pre-season friendly on Sunday, August 9, despite an impressive brace from new signing Alexander Isak.

The Reds started brightly and took control of the game early on. Isak opened the scoring in the 16th minute, giving Liverpool the advantage after a promising start.

Florian Wirtz then combined with Isak to double Liverpool’s lead in the 29th minute, putting the home side in a strong position before half-time.

However, Monaco responded before the break. Aleksandr Golovin pulled one back in the 44th minute, reducing Liverpool’s advantage to 2-1 heading into the interval.

Monaco continued to apply pressure after the restart and eventually completed their comeback. Mika Biereth equalised in the 56th minute, bringing the score level at 2-2.

The visitors then secured the victory late in the game, with Paris Brunner scoring in the 88th minute to give Monaco a 3-2 lead.

Liverpool made several changes throughout the second half as the team continued to assess different combinations ahead of the new campaign.

Among those introduced were Alisson, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Wataru Endo, Milos Kerkez, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa and several younger players.

Despite the defeat, Liverpool enjoyed slightly more possession, controlling 52 per cent of the ball compared with Monaco’s 48 per cent.

The Reds also registered 15 shots, with five on target, while Monaco managed 14 attempts and six on target.

The result provides Liverpool with another opportunity to assess their squad and identify areas that need improvement before competitive football begins.