Liverpool began their journey under Andoni Iraola by claiming a 4-2 victory over Sunderland, with strikes coming from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas.

Yet the new manager's reign started on a difficult note when Joe Gomez, deployed as centre-back and captain, suffered an injury and left the field in the eighth minute.

"The biggest concern came immediately with Joe's injury. We had been pleased to complete training sessions without any setbacks, but unfortunately we lost him right at the outset," Iraola noted. He was also missing new signing Jeremy Jacquet for the first friendly on Liverpool's USA tour.

"We chose to ease Jeremy in gradually. He has gone several months without matches but has trained excellently, so we will proceed carefully," Iraola continued. "He is likely to feature in the final match of this tour and will gradually build up his minutes."

With Virgil van Dijk granted additional rest after the Netherlands' World Cup run, two teenage centre-backs anchored the defence until the 68th minute.

Mor Talla N'diaye, 18, and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, 18, made their first appearances and handled the challenge well under the circumstances, though neither is expected to play regularly soon. Meanwhile, Giovanni Leoni, 19, continues individual work while recovering from a major ACL injury.

Iraola had stated earlier that the defensive options were limited. Sporting director Richard Hughes attended the Nashville fixture, and Gomez's early exit highlighted the lack of experienced centre-backs.

On Friday evening several Liverpool players strolled from their downtown Nashville hotel to Broadway, the city's renowned entertainment area in Tennessee.

Szoboszlai, part of that group, drew inspiration from the outing. Wearing the captain's armband after entering at half-time and continuing his strong form from last season, the Hungarian netted a superb long-range effort to make the score 2-2 after Sunderland had led through Timur Tutierov following Enzo le Fee's earlier equaliser.

Harvey Elliott's powerful run on his return from a loan at Aston Villa helped set up Morrison's opener, another encouraging sign. Morrison displayed his ability with a fine left-footed finish after cutting inside from the right.

The 19-year-old Northern Ireland international impressed throughout and tested the Sunderland defence repeatedly. Although Liverpool still require a top-class winger following Mohamed Salah's departure, Morrison demonstrated he could provide valuable bench options if he stays rather than going on loan.

Iraola remained active on the touchline as his team pressed effectively at times, yet the ease with which both goals were conceded indicates further work is needed. Le Fee enjoyed space to shoot past Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Liverpool were exposed too readily for Tutierov's strike.

Among the 24,897 spectators, mostly Liverpool supporters, there was delight when Chiesa restored the lead at 3-2 with a fine finish assisted by Calvin Ramsay, before Koumas sealed the result after another strong showing.

Josh Abe contributed significantly in that sequence by advancing the ball down the right. The 16-year-old, who turned 16 only last week, made his Liverpool debut in the second half. The England youth player is highly regarded and showed glimpses of his potential.

Iraola and the squad return to their Chicago base with a win secured but mindful that much lies ahead. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch have reached the Windy City and begin training on Sunday.

"The result is secondary; we must keep improving, avoid complacency and adapt to uncomfortable situations. There remain many areas to address," the head coach remarked.

Liverpool next face Wrexham in New York on Thursday (00.30 BST), while Sunderland meet Leeds at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey at the same time.