Substitute’s 75th-minute shot gives Liverpool 1-0 win in New York
Chances few and far between in pre-season friendly that fails to ignite
Liverpool turned the Empire State Building red when launching a new away kit on Tuesday but neither they nor Wrexham could illuminate Yankee Stadium 24 hours later. It was rough in the diamond, although Rio Ngumoha’s deflected goal made it two wins out of two for Andoni Iraola on his first pre-season tour as Liverpool head coach.
Ngumoha, a second half substitute who Iraola deployed on the right, satisfied the majority of a 42,204 crowd with a 75th-minute shot that looped in off Wrexham defender Lewis Brunt. Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (now simply Rob Mac) were in attendance for what the former had labelled a “punch-me moment” but in truth few blows were traded at the iconic baseball stadium.
Liverpool’s preparations for the second game of pre-season were not exactly smooth, in fairness to Iraola’s team. Their flight from Chicago was cancelled on Tuesday night with players and staff on the tarmac ready to take off. Poor weather conditions in the New York area delayed their arrival until the day of the game, and Liverpool only checked into their Midtown hotel around midday. They were flying back to Chicago straight after the match too.
Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch did not make the trip from Liverpool’s training base despite joining up with the squad following their post-World Cup holidays. The game came too early in their pre-season preparations to be considered. With Joe Gomez injured and Federico Chiesa also absent through illness, Iraola had little choice but to select another young and experimental side. Six of Liverpool’s starting line-up had no Premier League experience whatsoever but at least the emphasis on youth offered the crowd a glimpse of the highly-rated Joshua Abe.
Abe, a pacy and prolific right winger, is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the country and was inundated with offers before committing his future to Liverpool when turning 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 his table. There was understandable relief inside Anfield when he agreed scholarship terms in June with a three-year professional contract to follow on his 17th birthday next July.
Abe could have marked his first senior Liverpool start with an early goal when released clear of the Wrexham defence by Harvey Elliott. A heavy first touch gave the Wrexham and former Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward opportunity to save at the feet of the teenager. Iraola started with a front line of Calum Scanlon, Lewis Koumas and Abe. Koumas went close from distance and had a penalty shout 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 – their first competitive game is a week on Friday against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup – and it showed as the first half progressed and Phil Parkinson’s team gained a physical edge. Sam Smith and Callum Doyle were unable to trouble Giorgi Mamardashvili with the chances that fell their way.
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Abe, Scanlon, Milos Kerkez and Trey Nyoni were replaced at half-time by Ngumoha, Kieran Morrison, Kostas Tsimikas and Curtis Jones respectively. Elliott was 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 also denied Szoboszlai from distance but this was a Liverpool performance – and pre-season friendly – that failed to ignite.
Wrexham substitute Nathan Broadhead almost succeeded 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.
