Liverpool clinch win over Preston in emotional pre-season return | OneFootball

Liverpool kicked off their pre-season with a 3-1 win over Championship side Preston North End, on what was an emotional return following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva.

Both clubs paid an emotional tribute prior to kick-off on Sunday afternoon, which included a heartfelt rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and an impeccably observed minutes silence.

On the pitch, Conor Bradley opened the scoring for the Reds in the first half after some clever build-up play from youngster Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa, before it fell kindly to the defender at the back post.

Scorers: Lindsay 83'; Bradley 33', Núñez 53', Gakpo 88'

Early in the second half, with an entirely changed lineup that included new signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, Liverpool extended their advantage.

Darwin Núñez latched onto a poor back pass from the home side, and rounded the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into the back of the net.

Preston pulled a goal back with a little under 10 minutes left to play as defender Liam Lindsay headed home from a corner.

Arne Slot's side were quick to restore their two-goal advantage, however, as Ben Doak won the ball back just outside the Preston box and cut it back for his teammates.

Núñez let it roll through to Cody Gakpo, who placed an effort into the bottom right corner.

Having kicked off their pre-season schedule with win, Liverpool are set to head to the Far East for friendlies against AC Milan and Yokohama.

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