Liverpool flew home to Merseyside on a high after completing their pre-season tour of the US with an emphatic 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United in South Carolina.
Having already beaten Real Betis and Arsenal, Arne Slot’s side made it three wins out of three in front of a crowd of 77, 559 at Columbia’s Williams-Brice Stadium.
Their attacking fluency was eye-catching as Fabio Carvalho fired home the opener before Curtis Jones added the second. Kostas Tsimikas netted the third in the second half as Liverpool showed a clinical edge that United were lacking.
Slot’s squad will reconvene at Kirkby on Tuesday when they will be boosted by the return of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Alisson, who had been on an extended break after international duties.
Is Fabio Carvalho playing his way into Slot’s plans for this season?
In the absence of Diaz and Gakpo, there’s been a vacancy on the left of Slot’s front three and Carvalho has done an excellent job of filling it.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a confidence-boosting loan spell at Hull City in the second half of last season and returned to Merseyside this summer determined to catch Slot’s eye.
Carvalho has admitted he favours playing centrally but with close friend Harvey Elliott flourishing in the No 10 role, he has embraced the challenge of operating out wide.
Having scored against Arsenal in Philadelphia, he repeated the trick against United to get Liverpool off to a flyer. There was a touch of class from Carvalho when he latched on to a pass from Diogo Jota inside the box.
The way he worked it on to his left foot completely out-foxed Casemiro, who could only watch as Carvalho kept his composure and drilled low past Andre Onana via a slight deflection.
Carvalho shoos through the legs of Jonny Evans in Columbia (Photo: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Carvalho’s movement was intelligent as he repeatedly found pockets of space to operate in. On the other flank, Mohamed Salah once again proved that he’s energised after a decent break.
The Egyptian created the only goal against Betis, scored the opener against Arsenal and then coolly provided the assist for Jones to make it 2-0 against United.
Of course Salah’s status isn’t in doubt but there remains a question mark over where Carvalho fits in, especially with Gakpo, Diaz and Darwin Nunez returning to the fold.
Liverpool have snubbed interest in the former Fulham youngster so far this summer but it remains to be seen whether they get an offer they can’t turn down. Carvalho has made it clear he wants to stay and play, and he couldn’t have done much more to advance his claims.
How much longer can Liverpool keep hold of the best No 2 around?
Caoimhin Kelleher proved beyond any doubt that he’s a Premier League quality goalkeeper last season.
When Alisson was sidelined for two-and-a-half months by a hamstring injury, the Ireland international deputised brilliantly.
By the end of the season he had played 26 times for Liverpool in all competitions — more than in the four previous seasons combined.
Kelleher relished the chance to showcase his talent on a more regular basis and told The Athletic in late May: “Whether it’s here at Liverpool or somewhere else, I do feel the next step for me is to be a No 1.”
The 25-year-old no longer wants to be a back-up but Liverpool’s stance all summer has been that they don’t want to sell and are planning for the new season with him on board.
Kelleher, who has two years remaining on his contract, is valued at around £25m to £30m and it’s strange that the club’s resolve to keep him has yet to be properly tested with sizeable bids. Previously, there’s been interest from Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Brighton among others.
With Alisson still on holiday following the Copa America, this tour gave Kelleher the platform to make a positive impression on Slot and he’s certainly done that.
So good with the ball at his feet, he’s been key to launching some sweeping attacks. He’s also pulled off some exceptional saves and he did brilliantly to keep United at bay during a very open first half. Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford and Toby Collyer were all thwarted by his athleticism and quick reflexes.
Kelleher saves from Mount (Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Liverpool have got the best No 2 keeper around but keeping hold of him is bound to become increasingly difficult. With Alisson’s holidays over, the normal pecking order is set to be restored.
Long-serving goalkeeping coach John Achterberg felt he had left behind the strongest goalie department in the club’s history when he walked away with Jurgen Klopp in May.
Watching Vitezslav Jaros take over from Kelleher in the second half against United, it’s hard to argue with that bold assessment. The young Czech keeper, whose development was aided by last season’s loan stint with Austrian champions Sturm Graz, ensured that United weren’t able to launch a fightback as he produced fine saves to deny Scott McTominay and Ethan Wheatley. That’s proper strength in depth.
Will the rise of Conor Bradley influence where Slot plays Alexander-Arnold?
There was a period midway through the second half when Bradley was the only Liverpool player still out there who had started the game against United.
Dominik Szoboszlai didn’t feature at all due to fatigue, while Alexis Mac Allister wasn’t considered for selection having only joined up with the squad in South Carolina the previous day.
The humidity and the heavy pitch following thunderstorms ensured it was an energy-sapping night for those involved, but Bradley put in a tireless shift before being replaced by Luca Stephenson late on.
The Northern Ireland international truly announced himself as a Liverpool player when he made 23 appearances over the course of last season. How he filled the void when Alexander-Arnold was sidelined by injury as nothing seemed to faze him.
Bradley’s energy could earn him a starting place even with Alexander-Arnold back (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Bradley provided a reminder of his qualities during the tour of the US. Combative defensively and always eager to get forward, some of his link-up play with Salah was delightful against United.
The 21-year-old was heavily involved in Liverpool’s third goal. Ryan Gravenberch, who enjoyed a promising start to his pre-season in a deep lying midfield role, found Elliott, who fed it out to Bradley on the right.
Then came the change of pace and urgency as Bradley exchanged passes with Salah, burst into the box and cut it back to Jota. His shot was parried but Tsimikas was on hand to convert the rebound.
It’s going to be intriguing to see where Slot decides that Alexander-Arnold’s skillset is best utilised. With Bradley such a dynamic option at right-back, it adds weight to the argument of playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
(Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
