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Iraola's Liverpool Wins 4-2; Sakho Demoted to U23

7/26/2026

Summary

Liverpool Beats Sunderland

Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 at GEODIS Park in Nashville on July 25, 2026, in Andoni Iraola’s first match as manager.
Defender Joe Gomez exited after eight minutes with a muscle issue, which Iraola called “the worst news.”
Liverpool’s pre-season continues with games versus Wrexham in New York, Leeds United in Chicago, AS Monaco and Como before the Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 23.

Summary

Klopp Reprimands Sakho

Jurgen Klopp publicly reprimanded centre-back Mamadou Sakho after the squad’s Alcatraz visit for breaching the punctuality rule.
Klopp demoted Sakho to Liverpool’s Under-23 side, after which he never played for the senior team again.
In January 2017 Sakho joined Crystal Palace on loan, a move made permanent in summer 2017 for £25 million.
Sakho later said he paid his fine, was sanctioned, apologized to teammates and the manager, and declined comment.

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Liverpool Beats Sunderland

Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 at GEODIS Park in Nashville on July 25, 2026, in Andoni Iraola’s first match as manager.
Defender Joe Gomez exited after eight minutes with a muscle issue, which Iraola called “the worst news.”
Liverpool’s pre-season continues with games versus Wrexham in New York, Leeds United in Chicago, AS Monaco and Como before the Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 23.

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