Match reportRio Ngumoha goal settles Liverpool v Wrexham clash in New York
A late, deflected Rio Ngumoha goal helped Liverpool edge out Wrexham 1-0 in their latest pre-season outing in New York on Wednesday evening.
The 17-year-old had an effort take a ricochet inside the area which looped the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net with 15 minutes left to settle the contest at Yankee Stadium in the Reds’ favour.
It means Andoni Iraola’s side have won both fixtures of their United States tour so far, with a further contest against Leeds United in Chicago to follow on Sunday.
After the 4-2 victory over Sunderland in Iraola’s first game in charge in Nashville last weekend, the boss made a handful of changes to the starting line-up, including berths for Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai, with the former wearing the captain’s armband.
Liverpool could have taken the lead inside three minutes at Yankee Stadium. It was Szoboszlai who played a threaded pass into the path of Harvey Elliott in midfield, who in turn slipped Josh Abe in behind. The youngster’s effort was repelled by former Reds stopper Danny Ward, however.
Shortly after, Lewis Koumas went early with a low shot across goal from just outside the area that didn’t evade the bottom corner by much at all.
At the other end, Wrexham threatened when Sam Smith pounced on a ricochet inside the box, but saw his drive at close range deflect off Ifeanyi Ndukwe and spin over the crossbar.
The forward was involved again when he got a touch to a bouncing ball from a long pass forward, which had Giorgi Mamardashvili advancing from his goal line. The ‘keeper managed to get his body in the way of the ball to eliminate the danger.
On 33 minutes, Koumas appealed in vain for a penalty when he claimed he had been tripped by Dan Scarr after attempting to meet Szoboszlai’s through ball, but those appeals were waved away.
Four changes were made by Iraola during the break, but Wrexham had an early chance as a cross to the back post from the left dropped for Ryan Longman, but he could only skew wide as he stretched to reach the ball.
At the other end, tenacious play by Koumas kept a ball alive on the left before he found Elliott on the edge of the box. His swipe at goal was parried by Ward as it made its way towards the bottom corner.
The goalkeeper was called into action again soon after, getting behind a crisp Szoboszlai touch and hit from just outside the area.
A Nathan Broadhead thump from distance required a diving save from Mamardashvili as Wrexham threatened, but Liverpool took the lead with 15 minutes remaining.
Szoboszlai rolled the ball to Ngumoha midway inside the opposition half. He ran at a back-peddling defensive line before arriving into the box, where a low shot took a deflection off Lewis Brunt and looped over substitute stopper Callum Burton.
The Championship side spurned a late chance to grab a draw when Kieffer Moore scuffed over from Brunt’s delivery at point-blank range, ensuring it’s two from two for Liverpool so far on their tour of the USA.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili (Davies, 75), Kerkez (Tsimikas, 46), Szoboszlai (Sonni-Lambie, 76), Elliott (McConnell, 62), Abe (Morrison, 46), Nyoni (Jones, 46), Chambers (Ndiaye, 75), Ramsay (Frimpong, 62), Scanlon (Ngumoha, 46), Koumas (Wright, 62), Ndukwe.
Unused subs: Woodman.
Attendance: 42,204