Experimental Liverpool down Wrexham thanks to Rio Ngumoha’s winner

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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. The game came too early in their pre-season preparations to be considered.

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. 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.