Monaco leads Liverpool as Munoz makes debut in live match

Liverpool’s first home friendly under new head coach Andoni Iraola turned into a bumpy audition on August 9, 2026, as AS Monaco rallied from behind to take the lead at Anfield. The match also served as the debut stage for Victor Munoz, Liverpool’s first signing of the Iraola era, who came off the bench in the second half to get his first minutes in red.

A tale of two halves, and then some

Liverpool looked sharp early, taking a 2-1 lead into halftime courtesy of goals from Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Monaco pulled one back through an Aleksandr Golovin penalty before the break, keeping the contest alive. The second half told a different story entirely, with Monaco’s resurgence seeing them take the lead and flip the scoreline on a Liverpool side that seemed to lose its grip on the game as substitutions disrupted the rhythm.

Munoz takes his bow

The 23-year-old Spanish international forward signed from Osasuna this summer, making him the first player recruited specifically under Iraola’s watch. Munoz had been on an abbreviated summer break following Spain’s World Cup campaign, cutting his post-tournament rest short to join pre-season preparations and give himself a shot at featuring in this match.

Munoz enjoyed a productive 2025-26 campaign at Osasuna, earning a senior international debut with a goal and attracting interest from Liverpool in the process.

Iraola’s early report card

This was Iraola’s first competitive-adjacent match at Anfield, and Liverpool’s US tour had already produced uneven performances ahead of it. Wirtz and Isak both finding the net suggests Liverpool’s primary attacking weapons are in reasonable shape. On the defensive side, conceding a penalty and then shipping additional goals in the second half raises questions about concentration and depth.

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