Cody Gakpo hit his first goal of pre-season to put Liverpool ahead against Como in a friendly at Anfield on Sunday.
Netherlands forward Gakpo, who scored seven Premier League goals last season, collected Jeremie Frimpong’s clipped cross on the left hand side of the box and fired a finish into the far corner of the net in the 23rd minute against the Italian side.
Debutant Jeremy Jacquet doubled Liverpool’s advantage a minute before half-time by tapping in Gakpo’s cross from inside the penalty area on the left.
Jacquet’s first goal in Red 👌
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 16, 2026
Former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor called Gakpo’s goal a “really good finish”. “How many times do you see players lash at it, it goes miles over, and you think he should have taken a touch?” Mellor asked Liverpool’s official broadcast.
“It bounced in front of him and he took really good care to take the touch.”
Frimpong ➡️ Gakpo!
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 16, 2026
Liverpool vs Como: Gakpo gives Jacquet ‘buffet’
Mellor was also impressed with Gakpo and Jacquet’s work for the second, as well as praising Virgil van Dijk’s decision to feed his compatriot.
“Cody Gakpo could have gone for goal himself but he just put it into an area – saying to his teammates ‘go and get on the end of that.’
“People call it the ‘buffet ball’, whatever you want to call it. [Alexander] Isak was desperate for it to be him, but it was Jacquet… and that just put a seal on a really good first-half performance.”
The goals put new Reds head coach Andoni Iraola on course for his first win at Anfield, having overseen a 3-2 defeat to Monaco on his first outing at Liverpool’s home on August 9.
Liverpool vs Como: Gakpo goal opens scoring
Gakpo’s goal ensured there would be no repeat of the sides’ 0-0 draw in a friendly at Liverpool’s training ground earlier in the day, played across two 35-minute halves.
Wideman Frimpong’s surge to set up the strike was a typically rapid one, cutting inside and measuring his delivery as the Oranje livewire approached the box.
Iraola celebrated the goal but may be wary of Como’s performance in their friendly at Arsenal on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 before only losing on penalties to the Premier League holders.
Liverpool’s competitive campaign begins at Newcastle in the top flight on August 23 (16:30).
Como, who are managed by former Premier League star Cesc Fabregas and qualified for the Champions League by achieving their best-ever finish of fourth last season, visit Udinese in Serie A a day earlier (16:30).
Liverpool team vs Como
Jacquet, who arrived from Rennes for £60 million in July, was among Liverpool’s starters alongside Isak, who remains the most expensive Premier League signing ever thanks to the striker’s £125 move from Newcastle in September 2025.
Centre-back Ronald Araujo – signed on loan for the season from Barcelona – was one of the substitutes.
Iraola remained without Joe Gomez (muscle), Jayden Danns (thigh), Hugo Ekitike (Achilles) and Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley (knee).
Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister played his first minutes of pre-season in the earlier stalemate with Como.
Liverpool starting XI: Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Jeremie Frimpong, Ryan Gravenberch, Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool substitutes: Harvey Davies, Victor Munoz, Ronald Araujo, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas, Talla Ndiaye, Will Wright
Como full line up vs Liverpool
Como starting XI: Jean Butez, Yan Couto, Jacobo Ramon, Trevoh Chalobah, Kaiki, Lucas da Cunha, Martin Baturina, Mattia Liberali, Luis Milla, Jesus Rodriguez, Tasos Douvikas
Como substitutes: Mauro Vigorito, Edoardo Goldaniga, Maxence Caqueret, Alessandro Gabrielloni, Nico Paz, Emil Audero, Alberto Dossena, Adrian Lahdo, Nicolas Kuhn, Maximo Perrone, Alieu Fadera, Ivan Smolcic, Adam Asfour, Fabio Rispoli, Riccardo Cassano, Ignace Van der Brempt, Ivan Azon
Where to watch Liverpool vs Como: TV channel, online streams
Live coverage and streaming is on All Red, which costs £4.99 a month or £42.99 a season. A 14-day free trial is available.
Liverpool vs Como friendly stats
- Liverpool’s only defeat during 2025/26 pre-season was against an Italian side, losing 4-2 to Milan in Kowloon, where Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo scored for the Reds
- Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty gave them victory in their only competitive meeting with an Italian club last season, winning 1-0 at Inter during the league phase of the Champions League
- That was Liverpool’s fourth successive win in competitive matches against Italian teams, following up a 2-0 home victory over Bologna and 3-1 away defeat of Milan during the league phase in 2023/24
- Their first game on that run was a 1-0 win at Atalanta in the 2023/24 Europa League quarter-finals, although their preceding 3-0 defeat to La Dea at Anfield meant they exited on aggregate
- Against Italian clubs, Liverpool’s competitive record is W20 D6 L18, with none of their last 22 such matches finishing 0-0 since visiting Napoli during the Europa League group stage in October 2010
- Their draw at Arsenal was Como’s first 2026/27 pre-season away friendly, having played four previous warm-up games at home with an average of more than three goals per game
- They traded the lead with Paris FC in a 2-2 draw, came from behind to beat Al-Ula 3-1 and lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Villarreal in July, then shared three goals during the first 12 minutes with Famalicao on their way to a 3-2 victory
- Como had the third-best away record in Serie A last season, with only Inter and Milan taking more points and winning more games on the road
- Fabregas won the FA Cup in 2005 and reached the 2006 Champions League and 2007 EFL Cup finals during his time as an Arsenal midfielder between 2003 and 2011
- Now 39, Fabregas switched from Barcelona’s to Arsenal’s academy in 2003 and was their Player of the Season in 2007 and 2010
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