Nunez upstages Haaland, Alvarez in Liverpool’s Community Shield win, but Man City’s new stars will shake off loss – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

LEICESTER, England — Erling Haaland could have higher days in a Manchester Metropolis shirt, you will be sure of that, however his first style of English soccer noticed him resoundingly upstaged by Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Metropolis teammate Julian Alvarez because the FA Cup holders claimed a 3-1 Neighborhood Protect victory over final season’s Premier League champions on the King Energy Stadium.

Few gamers in world soccer create fairly as a lot noise as Haaland, the 22-year-old ahead who moved to Metropolis from Borussia Dortmund in a €60 million switch earlier this summer time. The Norway worldwide had his choose of each main membership in Europe earlier than agreeing to maneuver to the Etihad and few count on him to do something however rating a truckload of targets on the best way to successful trophies galore with Pep Guardiola’s group.

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However Haaland had a debut to overlook in opposition to Liverpool. Not solely did he fail to attain, he barely touched the ball, missed a straightforward likelihood in stoppage time when hitting the crossbar from six yards and noticed Nunez — Liverpool’s €75 million signing from Benfica — go away him firmly within the shade with a blinding substitute efficiency which delivered a purpose, an help and an thrilling showcase of the qualities he’ll convey to Jurgen Klopp’s group this season.

After which there was Alvarez, the 22-year-old signed from River Plate for €16 million, who gave an attention-grabbing Metropolis debut by scoring the equaliser, cancelling out Trent Alexander-Arnold’s first-half opener, after changing Riyad Mahrez early within the second-half. Whereas Nunez was explosive, decided and scientific, Alvarez confirmed the power to carry the ball, lay it off and make the most of tight areas earlier than displaying a striker’s consciousness when scoring from shut vary after goalkeeper Adrian had pushed away Phil Foden’s shot on 70 minutes.

Darwin Nunez had a day to recollect in his official debut of Liverpool. Michael Regan – The FA/The FA through Getty Pictures

Haaland will undoubtedly rating targets for Metropolis. His document thus far for Dortmund, FC Salzburg and Molde, has been so constantly good that it could be silly to recommend he’ll do something however proceed his scoring ratio on the Etihad. However this was a day when he was up in opposition to one of many strongest groups in Europe, with defenders Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk probably the greatest partnerships wherever within the sport, so it was a tricky baptism for Haaland. The area to run at defenders which he typically loved within the Bundesliga was denied him by Matip and Van Dijk, and some other crimson shirt that got here inside shut distance. And when he cannot run into the ultimate third with the purpose going through him, Haaland shouldn’t be fairly the identical menace.

Nunez appeared a lot sharper, and way more in a position to obtain the ball along with his again to purpose and transfer defenders round, however Haaland and Metropolis are clearly nonetheless studying work with one another. Mahrez failed to identify a intelligent Haaland run within the first-half, when the ahead had peeled off his marker, whereas Kevin De Bruyne waved his arms in frustration at his new teammate when he strayed offside and made himself unavailable for a cross within the second half.

Erling Haaland had a lacklustre sport when in comparison with goalscorer Julian Alvarez. Marc Atkins/Getty Pictures

And whereas Nunez was ready to run throughout the face of the 18-yard field, Haaland stayed throughout the tight confines of the central space of the pitch and it made him simpler to stifle and maybe defined why he solely managed 14 touches in 90 minutes. On this proof — admittedly, simply 90 minutes — Haaland will provide much less to Metropolis when he does not have the ball than Nunez will give to Liverpool. Nunez merely seems a extra rounded participant, nevertheless it does not imply he’ll rating extra targets and Guardiola insisted that Haaland will ship within the months forward.

“He did not rating,” Guardiola mentioned. “One other day he’ll rating. He has an unimaginable high quality on that and he’ll do it.

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“He fought quite a bit, made the actions. It is good for him to see the fact of recent nation, new league, however he was there. He’s going to assist us quite a bit — he had the possibilities, he was there.”

Opponents that are not as completed are more likely to be blown away by Haaland if he’s given the area to harm them, however in the end, he has been signed to make the distinction within the tight video games, in opposition to the likes of Liverpool and within the Champions League, so he has nonetheless to indicate he could make that important step up. It’s troublesome to envisage Haaland failing to take his sport to that degree, however he and Metropolis have work to do to make it come collectively.

Liverpool seem to have much less to do to make Nunez fill the hole created by Sadio Mane’s summer time transfer to Bayern Munich. His header, from Mohamed Salah’s cross on 80 minutes, led to the Ruben Dias handball which, after a VAR assessment, resulted in a penalty from which Salah made it 2-1 to Liverpool. And Nunez than scored his purpose with a diving header, 4 minutes into stoppage time, after Andy Robertson had teed him up within the six yard field.

“Everyone knows they’re a particular species, strikers,” Klopp mentioned. “All of them want targets and purpose involvements. “He [Nunez] would have been high quality with out his purpose as a result of he created the penalty along with his header and had an opportunity when the goalkeeper reacted brilliantly. “His purpose was the icing on the cake, sensible for him and it is a actually good signal after the time he has been with us.”

So within the battle of the brand new signings, Nunez received his first encounter with Haaland and helped Liverpool to their first Neighborhood Protect success since 2006. However it is a sport which means little in the long run. How Nunez and Haaland do within the Premier League and Champions League is what’s going to actually outline the success of their massive strikes.

Supply: espn.co.uk