Liverpool vs Lyon: Five things we learned as Ki-Jana Hoever and Adam Lallana impress in pre-season win

Last pre-season performance is Liverpool’s best

After the concerns caused by Sunday’s defeat to Napoli at Murrayfield, which represented a fourth successive pre-season game without a win, this victory in Liverpool’s final warm-up game will be well-received.

Jurgen Klopp’s side went behind early after Memphis Depay’s penalty but Olympique Lyonnais rarely troubled from then onwards, as Roberto Firmino and Harry Wilson struck either side of a Joachim Andersen own goal for a 3-1 win.

Even with the many substitutions disrupting their rhythm and some early defensive wobbles, this was the most composed and convincing of Liverpool’s summer outings so far, boosted by returns for Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Alisson.

Many of the most impressive performances came from the youngsters. Bobby Duncan assisted Wilson’s goal, new signing Harvey Elliott’s late cameo was bright, but one teenager stood out above the others.

Hoever shines at right-back

Having signed a new, long-term contract on Wednesday afternoon, Ki-Jana Hoever found himself trending on Twitter by the evening. The teenage full-back, signed from Ajax last summer, was trusted to start and impressed, even earning an assist when his cross was diverted in by Andersen.

Though a couple of mistimed challenges blemished his copybook and brought a yellow card, Hoever’s movement, footwork and distribution all caught the eye. He first proved he could be relied upon by marking Salah out of a Melwood training session last Christmas. Here, he provided an excellent foil for the Egyptian.

The long-term injury to Nathaniel Clyne has opened up a potential vacancy behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, especially if Joe Gomez’s future lies in the centre of defence. So far, Hoever has shown that he can be relied upon to step in at right-back if necessary.

Lallana’s joy of six

Few players divide Liverpool’s fanbase as much as Adam Lallana, who has spent the past two years in and out of the treatment room, struggling to rediscover the form which earned him a new contract towards the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

Attempts to slot the 31-year-old back into the attack largely failed last year and Jurgen Klopp has evidently decided it is time for a role reassignment. After talking up Lallana as a ‘no 6’ earlier this summer, he started as the deepest-lying midfielder once again.

Against one of Liverpool’s tougher opponents in pre-season to date, Lallana was both combative and controlling, combining well with the equally-impressive Naby Keita. His rebirth as a holding player is in its infancy, but this was a positive outing.

Wilson shows his worth

Harry Wilson had offered very little to Liverpool’s attack up until the 53rd minute. One early, deflected shot which trickled against the post was the sum total of his contribution. But Wilson is a player who can change all that out of nothing.

The long-range left-footed drive to make the score 3-1 – a spectacular strike – is why Wilson has many suitors this summer and why Liverpool believe they are able to demand a price of £25m for the academy product.

Perhaps the opening 53 minutes showed why Wilson’s hopes of breaking into Liverpool’s front-line are slim, but his goal demonstrated why the club can expect to earn a pretty penny from his development.

Defensive jitters despite Alisson’s return

After the manner of the defeat to Napoli, Alisson’s return was expected to restore a degree of calm to Liverpool’s defence. Few would have predicted a calamitous error inside the first three minutes.

Alisson made a meal of a routine Depay cross, allowing Moussa Dembele to make the most of some contact to win a penalty. The Liverpool goalkeeper could have few complaints. It was a mess of his own making.

It is not a mistake that will prey on Alisson’s mind, and there was a significant improvement at the back afterwards, but Liverpool end their pre-season without a clean sheet to their name. That remains a concern, with Manchester City waiting at Wembley on Sunday.