Former Manchester United youth prospect Robbie Brady scored a stunning goal as Preston North End defeated Liverpool 1-0 in Arne Slot’s first game as manager. The Reds hosted the match at their AXA Training Centre in a behind-closed-doors encounter.
Mohamed Salah – who returned to pre-season training in phenomenal shape – lined up alongside Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai as some of the first-team regulars to be involved in the match. Several key figures remained absent after their exploits at Euro 2024 and Copa America.
Slot heavily rotated his side throughout the clash with the EFL Championship outfit, eventually using more than 20 players in the disappointing loss. While pre-season is all about getting the players up to speed and ready for the competitive season, the Dutchman will be keen to rack up his first win as early as possible.
Liverpool Concede 40-Yard Screamer
Former Premier League player Robbie Brady netted from range
Despite enjoying the majority of possession, the Premier League club were unable to find the net and were handed a defeat in the most incredible circumstances. Brady, formerly of Burnley and Bournemouth, showed he’s still capable of pulling off the unthinkable with his brilliant left foot.
The Republic of Ireland international was able to press the opposition backline on the halfway line and dispossess right-back Conor Bradley. Despite travelling at speed, the wide player was then able to spot the reserve goalkeeper, Vítezslav Jaros, off his line.
Brady then proceeded to smash the ball over the Czechia international shot-stopper, with the ball crashing off the crossbar before crossing the line. Watch the incredible strike below:
Slot Reacts to Liverpool Loss
He remained upbeat despite the upset
Speaking after being handed his first defeat as the Reds’ boss, Slot was asked if he had seen promising signs that his methods and approach were being taken on board by his new players. The ex-Feyenoord manager replied (per the Liverpool Echo): “Yes, definitely. I’ve seen this a lot during the training sessions, maybe a bit more than today but that also had to do with the playing style of the opponent.”
The 45-year-old claimed his new side were unfortunate to be on the losing side as he continued to say:
“We controlled the game completely and only conceded one shot. We were a bit unlucky to lose 1-0 given we only conceded the one shot. We had some good build-up moments and had some good chances in the first half, the second half I didn’t think we created that much which is normal because there were a lot of young players in the team.”
Slot was adamant that preparations for his debut season in charge of the Premier League outfit are going well as he told LFCTV: “It’s been a good two weeks. Unfortunately, the result today was not what we wanted. But they stayed fit, many of them got minutes, also a lot of young players got a few minutes so that was a good thing.”