Nunez 1-0 Haaland: Liverpool striker wins the battle of the debutants
Robin Bairner
- 30 Jul 2022 13:10 CDT
- 3 min read
Liverpool claimed a 3-1 Community Shield victory over Manchester City, in which Darwin Nunez beat Erling Haaland in a clash that had been billed as the battle of the debutants.
Nunez came off the bench to seal the victory in stoppage time with a stooping header from close range, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah having previously struck for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Julian Alvarez, meanwhile, also got a debut goal as a substitute for City, but Haaland had a tough outing.
The Argentine briefly equalised for Pep Guardiola’s side in the second half as he bundled home from close range after the ball had been controversially dug out of the arms of Liverpool keeper Adrian.
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Jurgen Klopp’s side had taken the lead in the first half through Alexander-Arnold’s fine finish and won the game when Mohamed Salah converted from the spot after a handball. This set the scene for Nunez’s late strike.
The Uruguay international impressed off the bench with his movement, clearly posing the Premier League champions major issues. He had an early sight of goal when he took up a smart position between the City centre-backs, but he could only clip his shot into Ederson’s face.
There were promising signs from the Benfica man in terms of the clever spaces he took up, and it was from his header that Liverpool won the decisive penalty.
Deep in stoppage time, he again ghosted into room to convert from close range after Andy Robertson headed the ball across goal for him.
Haaland endures poor Man City deubt
Haaland, meanwhile, cut an awkward figure at the forefront of the Manchester City attack. He struggled to be effectively involved for his side and looked rusty in possession, with his first touch particularly disappointing.
An incident 10 minutes into the second half seemed to sum up his performance. With City given a rare chance to break, he timed his run badly and strayed offside. Kevin De Bruyne, in possession, recognised that and continued to dribble with the ball, but as the Norway star checked, he took up the space that his colleague was moving into. De Bruyne was left obviously frustrated.
He also had a chance to pull one back in stoppage time, yet inexplicably clipped the bar from close range after a shot was spilled.
So after the Community Shield, it is Nunez 1-0 Haaland, but the real stuff, of course, starts next week.
