There were good and bad elements on display during Liverpool’s 4-3 loss against Bundesliga strugglers Hertha Berlin. While shaky defense allowed the Reds to concede 4, it did feature the returning Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez – who missed most of last season.
Jurgen Klopp used six center-backs in Liverpool’s latest friendly . Most importantly the German had both van Dijk and Gomez at his disposal after long absences. Both were given a few minutes out of the pitch to ease them back into action, but it was a welcome sight for the Liverpool faithful, nonetheless.
Joel Matip and new signing Ibrahima Konate started the first half and conceded twice inside 31 minutes. Santiago Ascasibar opened the scoring for the German side as he slid in at the far post to divert the ball into the net, following a set piece. Hertha’s new midfielder Suat Serdar scored the second goal of the match just ten minutes later – a fierce volley from a tight angle which surprised fans as much as it did Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
The Reds fought back to level the game before the half-time break. Sadio Mane scored the first of the two goals following some good work by Kostas Tsimikas down on the left-wing. Tsimikas found Mane inside the box after a good run, and the Senegalese forward put the ball in the back of the net at the second time of asking.
Takumi Minamino brought the Reds level in the 42nd minute, smashing the ball past Alexander Schwolow from close range after a back heel assist from Mohamed Salah.
Steven Jovetic, who joined Hertha earlier this week after a spell at AS Monaco, made his debut for the club. As far as unofficial debuts go, it was as good as it gets, as Jovetic scored twice to make it 4-2 to Hertha on the night. He headed in his first from close range before running past Van Dijk and calmly slotting it into the corner for his second.
While Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled one back for Liverpool late on, it wasn’t enough to save them from defeat.
