Jacquet and Gakpo Secure Anfield Victory
A heavy Merseyside summer drizzle slicks the turf at Anfield, sharpening the pace of every pass and testing the composure of backlines under immediate pressure. In their final pre-season tune-up before the Premier League campaign begins, Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over Italian side Como, driven by a commanding first-half showing in the Liverpool vs Como clash.
The afternoon belonged to 21-year-old French defender Jeremy Jacquet, who capped his club debut after arriving from Rennes with a goal on the stroke of half-time. Jacquet's close-range finish doubled the advantage established by Cody Gakpo, offering manager Andoni Iraola a confident closing statement to the pre-season schedule.
Key Moments: First-Half Flurry and Defensive Resilience
Liverpool set an aggressive tempo early, nearly opening the scoring inside eight minutes when Alexander Isak struck a bouncing effort off the base of the far post. The breakthrough arrived in the 23rd minute through fluent combination play down the flank:
- 23' — Goal: Jeremie Frimpong carved open the right channel, delivering an incisive ball for Gakpo, who fired emphatically past the Como goalkeeper.
- 44' — Goal: Operating like a coordinated blockade advancing from deep, Liverpool caught Como disorganized. Gakpo turned provider, sliding a precise low ball across the face of goal for Jacquet to tap home from close range.
- 58' — Como Response: Como found footholds after the interval as the tempo decelerated, with Rodriguez firing into the side-netting.
- 85' — Counter Threat: Como substitute Diao broke clear on a fast transition, skimming the top of Liverpool's crossbar.
- 89' — Woodwork Denies Gravenberch: Dominik Szoboszlai orchestrated a late opportunity for Ryan Gravenberch, whose curling drive rebounded off the woodwork.
Standout Performers and Lineup Dynamics
Anfield's acoustic roar rose to meet Jacquet from his very first defensive duel in front of the Kop. Paired centrally with 35-year-old captain Virgil van Dijk, the young Frenchman displayed rapid recovery pace and aggressive vertical passing—a crisp acta est fabula to questions regarding his readiness. Despite a solitary missed tackle covered smartly by Frimpong, Jacquet offered a dynamic presence across his 45 minutes of action before giving way to fellow newcomer Ronald Araujo at the interval.
Alongside Jacquet and Gakpo, Frimpong and youngster Rio Ngumoha provided relentless thrust out wide. Conversely, Florian Wirtz struggled to influence proceedings centrally, and Isak faded after his early effort against the upright.
Tactical Eulogy and Next Fixture
Having surrendered a two-goal lead against Monaco the previous week, Iraola’s side held firm against Como’s second-half resurgence to preserve the clean sheet. Liverpool now turn their attention to the Premier League opener against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday, August 23.
For Como, the afternoon perished in the vacant corridors between their full-backs and central markers—a defensive cordon stretched past breaking point, undone the moment Liverpool bypassed their initial press to leave the back post utterly surrendered.