Substitute Rio Ngumoha scored a 75th-minute deflected winner as Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium in New York on Tuesday. The result made it two wins from two for Andoni Iraola on his first pre-season tour as head coach, but the match itself produced few clear chances and never fully caught fire.
Liverpool had helped turn the Empire State Building red on Tuesday when launching a new away kit, but neither side could light up Yankee Stadium 24 hours later. The game was rough around the diamond, although Ngumoha’s goal satisfied most of the 42,204 crowd and provided the only scoring moment of the evening.
Ngumoha, introduced as a second-half substitute and used on the right by Iraola, sent in a shot that looped in off defender Lewis Brunt. Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, now simply Rob Mac, were in attendance for what Reynolds had described as a
“punch-me moment”, but in truth there were very few blows traded at the iconic baseball stadium.
Liverpool’s build-up to the second game of their pre-season was far from smooth. Their flight from Chicago was cancelled on Tuesday night, with players and staff already on the tarmac ready to depart, and poor weather in the New York area delayed their arrival until the day of the match. Liverpool did not check into their Midtown hotel until around midday and were due to fly back to Chicago straight after the game.
Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch did not travel from Liverpool’s training base, despite having joined the squad after their post-World Cup holidays. The fixture came too early in their pre-season preparations to be considered. With Joe Gomez injured and Federico Chiesa also absent because of illness, Iraola had little choice but to name another young and experimental side.
Six of Liverpool’s starting line-up had no Premier League experience at all, although the emphasis on youth at least gave the crowd a look at the highly rated Joshua Abe.
Abe, a pacy and prolific right winger, is viewed as one of the brightest prospects in the country and had attracted offers before committing his future to Liverpool when he turned 16 earlier this month. Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea were all interested in the Warrington-born England youth international, with deals worth £40,000-a-week reportedly on the table. There was understandable relief inside Anfield when he agreed scholarship terms in June, with a three-year professional contract set to follow on his 17th birthday next July.
Abe could have marked his first senior Liverpool start with an early goal after Harvey Elliott played him clear of the Wrexham defence. However, a heavy first touch gave Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward, formerly of Liverpool, the chance to save at the teenager’s feet.
Iraola began with a front line of Calum Scanlon, Lewis Koumas and Abe. Koumas went close from distance and had a penalty appeal waved away, but aside from a few surging midfield runs by Dominik Szoboszlai it was a quiet friendly.
Wrexham are further along in their pre-season work and their first competitive game is a week on Friday against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, and that showed as the first half went on and Phil Parkinson’s side gained a physical edge. Sam Smith and Callum Doyle were unable to trouble Giorgi Mamardashvili with the chances that came their way.
Abe, Scanlon, Milos Kerkez and Trey Nyoni were replaced at half-time by Ngumoha, Kieran Morrison, Kostas Tsimikas and Curtis Jones respectively. Elliott was then presented with a sight of the Wrexham goal by Koumas minutes after the restart, but his first-time shot from 20 yards was well saved by Ward. The Wales international later denied Szoboszlai from distance, but this was a Liverpool performance and pre-season friendly that never ignited.
Wrexham substitute Nathan Broadhead almost changed that with a powerful drive from 25 yards that was pushed away by Mamardashvili. Brunt and Kieffer Moore both had good late chances to equalise but miscued from close range.
Key Facts
- Rio Ngumoha scored the only goal in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Wrexham on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium in New York.
- The 75th-minute effort deflected in off defender Lewis Brunt.
- Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were among the 42,204 spectators in attendance.
- Liverpool were delayed by a cancelled flight from Chicago and arrived in New York on the day of the match.
- Wrexham’s first competitive game is against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup a week on Friday.
