Liverpool 5-0 Stoke: Darwin Nunez hits first-half hat-trick as Florian Wirtz features in training match

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Evening Standard

·20 July 2025

Liverpool 5-0 Stoke: Darwin Nunez hits first-half hat-trick as Florian Wirtz features in training match

Reds warm up for Asia tour with emphatic win over Championship opposition

Liverpool begin the defence of their Premier League title next month against Bournemouth and in the meantime, preparations are firmly underway ahead of the new season.

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Of course, football has not been the main focus for the club as a whole since players and staff reported back for pre-season training.

Last week's 3-1 win over Preston took place just 10 days after Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car accident. As a result the game will be remembered more as a tribute rather than a friendly.

After a few days of training, things were kicked up a notch on Sunday afternoon and prior to the squad flying to Asia for their pre-season tour, a friendly took place against Stoke at the club's AXA Training Centre.

Details of the behind closed doors friendly have been revealed and the biggest talking point is that Darwin Nunez scored a first-half hat-trick in a 5-0 win.

Highly-rated youngster Rio Ngumoha also got on the scoresheet as the Reds raced into a 4-0 lead before half-time. Federico Chiesa completed with the only goal in the second half.

The run-out saw captain Virgil van Dijk get some minutes under his belt whilst record signing Florian Wirtz made his first appearance - albeit unofficial - in Liverpool colours as he played the first-half.

Luis Diaz - linked with a move to Bayern Munich - was not involved alongside Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister. However, they are all expected to be named in Arne Slot's squad for the Asia tour.

Liverpool will be in action against AC Milan in Hong Kong next Saturday before flying out to Japan to face Yokohama FM four days later.

Currently, the double-header against Athletic Club on Monday, August 2, 2025 is the final warm-up game pencilled for the Reds as the 2025/26 Community Shield showdown with Crystal Palace at Wembley precedes their Premier League opener against Bournemouth five days later.