Liverpool beats Como 2-0 at Anfield with first-half goals

Liverpool beat Como 2-0 at Anfield in a Club Friendlies matchup that was settled by two goals before the break. Cody Gakpo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Jérémy Jacquet doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time at the 43rd, sealing a win the home side managed comfortably despite a second half with less attacking output.

A first half decided by clinical finishing

The match opened with chances at both ends. Como had the first sniffs through Lucas da Cunha and Tasos Douvikas, while Liverpool answered with efforts from Alexander Isak and Rio Ngumoha from outside the box. The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute: Jeremie Frimpong set up Cody Gakpo, who finished with his left foot from close range to make it 1-0.

Como didn't sit back and pushed for the equalizer with shots from Jesús Rodríguez, Kaiki and Da Cunha himself, all of which came close to beating Alisson Becker. But as the clock ticked toward halftime, Jérémy Jacquet put the finishing touch on a strong first half: after a corner kick, Gakpo squared it and the defender finished from close range to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute, the score at the break.

A scoreless second half, but not for lack of chances

The picture changed after the restart: Como took greater control of the ball and created more danger, with attempts from Douvikas, Martin Baturina and Mattia Liberali testing Liverpool's defense, though none found the net. Liverpool, for its part, sat deeper and looked to extend the lead on the counter, including a Ryan Gravenberch shot that rattled the post in the 88th minute. As substitutions came and went, the score held and the 2-0 scoreline stood until the final whistle.

By the numbers

The numbers show a match in which Como held more of the ball and generated more overall volume, leading in possession, shots and corners. Liverpool, though, was more efficient with its chances: according to our own expected goals estimate for the match, calculated after the fact based on shot location, the home side produced 1.594 xG compared to Como's 1.042, a gap that lines up with the final result despite the hosts seeing less of the ball.

What the preview said

Before kickoff, our projection gave Liverpool a 41% chance of winning, with 24% for a draw and 35% for a Como victory, with combined expected goals of 3.72 (1.94 for the home side and 1.79 for the visitors). The way the match played out largely matched that forecast in terms of Liverpool's favorite status, though the Italian side couldn't finish off its share of the attacking equation: despite flirting with a goal on several occasions, especially in the second half, it never broke through.

Takeaways

Liverpool walked away with a clear win built on efficiency in the first 45 minutes, while Como showed plenty going forward, particularly in ball control and in the closing stretch, without being able to turn that into goals. For the Anfield side, defensive solidity after the break and the finishing of Gakpo and Jacquet made the difference in a match that was effectively decided in just 21 minutes of the first half.