مدير عام كرة القدم
- Liverpool fell behind early in second half
- Wirtz and Nyoni then scored in space of six minutes
- Ngumoha capped thrilling cameo with killer third goal
Arne Slot named something close to his strongest line-up for the game at the Nissan Stadium, with Ekitike, Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo forming an all-star attack.
However, while Liverpool crafted some good openings during the first half, they failed to take any – and also looked worryingly prone to counter-attacks, just as they had done in last weekend’s friendly loss to AC Milan.
Consequently, it didn’t come as that much of a surprise to see Yokohama take the lead early in the second half, when Asahi Uenaka finished smartly after being slipped in on goal by Ren Kato.
The goal sparked Liverpool into life, though, and Wirtz drew his new team level with a confident finish from 10 yards out after some excellent work from Curtis Jones in the build-up. The tourists then made it two goals in six minutes, when Trey Nyoni did well to get himself on the end of a fantastic Frimpong cross from the right-hand side of the area.
With Yokohama’s brave resistance finally broken, Ngumoha ran riot in the closing stages and capped a scintillating cameo with a fine right-footed strike with just three minutes to go.
,
Liverpool may have spent a fortune on exciting summer signings but Salah remains their star player, as he once again underlined against Yokohama. As well as being heavily involved in Wirtz’s equaliser, the Egyptian created three clear-cut chances (for Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez) with three outstanding passes. It’s fair to say, then, that Salah looks in pretty good shape to replicate his sensational stats from last season.
,
Wirtz linked well at times with Salah and Gakpo during the first half but was occasionally guilty of taking the wrong decision. However, the Germany international managed to get his first goal for Liverpool shortly before being replaced, after arriving right on cue to fire home a cutback from Salah that Jones unintentionally flicked right into his path.
Meanwhile, Wirtz’s former Bayer Leverkusen team-mate, Frimpong, left Nyoni with a pretty straightforward finish thanks to a wonderful whipped cross.
As for Ekitike, he impressed with his work-rate and general movement but didn’t get many clear sights of goal. However, he did go close with an ingenious back-heeled effort from an acute angle after reacting first to Conor Bradley’s low cross.
In defence, Giorgio Mamardashvili once again started in goal due to the unavailability of Alisson, who returned to his native البرازيل for personal reasons, and the Georgian impressed with his distribution, while he also made a good save from Dean David during the first half.
There was also a start for Milos Kerkez, who was caught out of position a few times but always provided a decent outlet down the left-hand side.
,
Nyoni has been tipped to challenge for a starting spot in Slot’s side sooner rather than later and the midfielder didn’t take long to make his impact felt, scoring four minutes after his introduction.
He also combined brilliantly with Ngumoha, who was the undoubted star of the final quarter of the game. The 16-year-old absolutely tormented the Yokohama defence from the off, turning opponents inside-out with his sensational dribbling skills.
It, thus, felt fitting that Ngumoha had the final word on the night, rifling home from the edge of the box after being picking up possession in midfield.
Liverpool now return to Merseyside for a double-header against Athletic Club on Monday, August 4 – before then travelling to Wembley six days later for their Community Shield showdown with FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
The Reds will then open the new الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز season with a game against Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday, August 15.
