Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium in New York, with Rio Ngumoha scoring the only goal in the 75th minute to give manager Andoni Iraola his second win from two games in charge.
Ngumoha cut in from the right wing and scored via a deflection off a Wrexham defender. Liverpool had beaten Sunderland in Nashville the previous week and will now fly to Chicago to face Leeds on Sunday.
Ngumoha trialled on the right
The game came amid Liverpool's reported pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, who is valued at £145 million. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher posted on X that Barcola would not be a good signing because he plays on the left, the same flank occupied by Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz.
With that in mind, Ngumoha was used on the right wing against Wrexham. He was quiet for stretches, but it was his decisive run that produced the winning goal, with manager Iraola's camp suggesting defenders tend to back off because of his pace and trickery.
Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak remained at the Chicago training base and did not travel to New York. Federico Chiesa was ruled out through illness, Iraola said.
Nyoni catches the eye
Nineteen-year-old Trey Nyoni, who signed from Leicester in 2023, played as a holding midfielder and impressed. He has made 20 first-team appearances, mostly as a substitute in cup games, and featured for just 21 minutes in the Premier League last season.
Nyoni can also play further forward and has been used at centre-half and in attacking positions. His preferred role, though, is in a deep-lying position where he dictates possession with short, direct passing.
Ndukwe impresses but faces work visa block
Eighteen-year-old defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe, signed from Austria Wien this summer, put in another composed performance in his second pre-season outing. He was assured in possession and alert defensively, but will not be able to play for Liverpool this season because he does not yet have enough points to qualify for a work visa.
Liverpool are dealing with a defensive injury list that includes Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, while Virgil van Dijk, now 35, was not on this pre-season tour. Alongside Ndukwe, 22-year-old Luke Chambers, who has had loan spells at Kilmarnock, Wigan and Charlton, also performed well and can play at left back and left centre-back.
Szoboszlai leads the way
Dominik Szoboszlai was the standout player on the night. The Hungary captain wore the armband with van Dijk absent and repeatedly drove through Wrexham's midfield. He signed a new long-term contract earlier in July and is considered a candidate for the vice-captaincy following Andy Robertson's departure, with goalkeeper Alisson also in contention for the role.
Harvey Elliott was also lively and created a clear opening for Joshua Abe, who failed to convert. Elliott later had a goal disallowed by former Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward.
