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Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw in their first friendly against Como 1907, as Victor Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister were the Reds’ most influential players. Liverpool 0-0 Como Pre-Season Friendly (5) | AXA Training Centre | August 16, 2026 Before the evening’s Anfield encounter, Liverpool faced a strong Como side six miles away, as the teams played a 70-minute match at the AXA Training Centre. Both Andoni Iraola and opposition coach Cesc Fabregas were present as Alexis Mac Allister got his first minutes of pre-season. The Argentine started in a midfield three with Trey Nyoni and James McConnell, behind an attacking trio of Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa and Victor Munoz. Meanwhile, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Calvin Ramsay, Wataru Endo, Luke Chambers and Kostas Tsimikas formed the back five. Mac Allister and Munoz influential from the start It was the Reds’ two World Cup finalists, Mac Allister and Munoz, who impacted the game with quality first, as the former sprayed an excellent long pass left, where Munoz twisted and turned before delivering a cross that Nyoni headed just over. The Spaniard was the Reds’ brightest player in the early stages, running at the Croatia international right-back, Ivan Smolcic. Como left-winger Assane Diao was causing problems, too, though, as Ramsay pushed forward and left Endo exposed to the pacy Senegalese wideman. Rather than the clear 4-2-3-1 we have seen in pre-season, with Florian Wirtz playing just behind Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s midfield of Nyoni, Mac Allister and McConnell played closer to the manner that we were used to under previous managers. Interestingly, if there was one midfielder more advanced than the others, it was McConnell – and Mac Allister was arguably the deepest. The Argentine was Liverpool’s playmaker and, just before half time, he threaded a great through ball for Chiesa who nearly opened the scoring but was caught offside. Half-time: Liverpool 0-0 Como There was only one change made at the break, Como switching goalkeeper from Noel Tornqvist to Emil Audero. Liverpool substitutes raise the energy After a dull first 35 minutes, the second half did begin with both teams throwing more caution to the wind, but it wasn’t until Liverpool made a triple change that they really showed intensity. Kieran Morrison, Will Wright and Lewis Koumas replaced the front three and the latter immediately got a shot off on goal. Como then made their substitutions, taking off the likes of Alvaro Morata, Maximo Perrone and Marc-Oliver Kempf for younger squad players. Liverpool began to win the ball higher up the pitch. On one occasion, Wright latched onto a loose back pass but was pushed wide by the ‘keeper so had to pass rather than shoot, only for Nyoni to sky the resultant shot. Just a few minutes later it was Koumas who got an opportunity but, after nicking the ball on the edge of the box, the Wales international put his shot wide as Audero rushed to narrow the angle. The young forward was on a mission to impress in his allotted time. Mor Talla Ndiaye for Mac Allister was the next change, meaning Endo moved into midfield so the young centre-half could play in defence alongside the assured Chambers. As Milos Kerkez put his feet up while watching from the onlooking building, there was a stoppage due to a Como player dislocating his finger. Once play got back underway, versatile young defender Lucas Putt came on for Ramsay at right-back, while midfielder McConnell made way for Josh Sonni-Lambie. Make no mistake about it, this was 70 minutes of pre-season football that won’t be watched again. Hopefully, Liverpool put on a better show at Anfield for the match-goers! TIA Man of the Match: Luke Chambers Liverpool 0-0 Como (Pre-Season) Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Ramsay (Pitt 67′), Endo, Chambers, Tsimikas; McConnell (Sonni-Lambie 67′), Mac Allister (Ndiaye 59′), Nyoni; Elliott (Morrison 46′), Chiesa (Wright 46′), Munoz (Koumas 46′) Subs not used: Davies Next Match: Como (H) – Pre-Season Friendly (6) – Sunday, August 16, 6pm (BST)