Liverpool opened their pre-season campaign with a 3–1 victory over Preston North End on Saturday, in what was an emotional evening following the tragic death of Diogo Jota.

Before kick-off, a minute of silence and a touching tribute were held to honour the Portuguese forward, who passed away last week in a car accident along with his brother.

In his first match in charge, Arne Slot opted to field two entirely different line-ups across both halves to give a wide group of players minutes.

Conor Bradley opened the scoring shortly after the 30-minute mark with a calm finish. Early in the second half, Darwin Núñez doubled the lead with a clinical strike, before Cody Gakpo sealed the win late on. Liam Lindsay scored Preston’s only goal.

Liverpool 3–1 Preston North End – Pre-season Friendly

First-half XI: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Szoboszlai, Salah, Chiesa, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Ngumoha, Bradley, Stevenson, Nyoni.

Second-half XI: Woodman, Endo, Núñez, Jones, Gakpo, Robertson, Doak, Kerkez, Frimpong, Nallo, Koumas.