New York: Liverpool secures win over Wrexham in pre-season friendly

By Joel Kavanagh — 30 July 2026 — 3 min read

Liverpool secured a victory over Wrexham in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium, with Rio Ngumoha’s deflected goal in the 75th minute proving decisive. The match, which saw Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola achieve his second win in two pre-season games, was attended by Wrexham’s co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The game was described as a quiet friendly, with few significant exchanges between the teams. Liverpool’s preparations for the match were affected by travel disruptions, as their flight from Chicago was cancelled due to poor weather conditions in the New York area. This delayed their arrival until the day of the game, with the team checking into their hotel around midday.

Match Details and Team Formations

Liverpool played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Wrexham adopted a 3-4-3 setup. The match statistics showed Liverpool with 60.7% overall possession compared to Wrexham’s 39.3%. Wrexham had more shots with 11 to Liverpool’s 9, though both teams had 3 goalkeeper saves. Both sides committed 10 fouls.

Liverpool’s starting lineup featured a number of young and experimental players, partly due to the absence of several key individuals. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Ryan Gravenberch did not travel, having recently joined the squad after their World Cup holidays. Additionally, Joe Gomez was injured and Federico Chiesa was absent due to illness. Six of Liverpool’s starting players had no prior Premier League experience.

The emphasis on youth provided an opportunity for highly-rated prospect Joshua Abe to feature. Abe, a right winger, was reportedly sought after by clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea before committing to Liverpool on scholarship terms in June, with a professional contract expected on his 17th birthday next July.

Abe had an early chance to score in his first senior Liverpool start when he was released by Harvey Elliott, but his heavy first touch allowed Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward to make a save. Liverpool’s initial attacking trio included Calum Scanlon, Lewis Koumas, and Abe. Koumas had a shot from distance and a penalty appeal turned down. Dominik Szoboszlai made some surging midfield runs, but the first half remained largely uneventful.

Second Half Action and Key Moments

At half-time, Liverpool made several changes, with Ngumoha, Kieran Morrison, Kostas Tsimikas, and Curtis Jones replacing Abe, Scanlon, Milos Kerkez, and Trey Nyoni, respectively. Soon after the restart, Elliott had a chance from 20 yards following a pass from Koumas, but Ward saved his first-time shot. The Wales international also denied Szoboszlai from a distance.

Ngumoha’s goal came in the 75th minute, a deflected shot that looped in off Wrexham defender Lewis Brunt. This marked Ngumoha’s contribution as a second-half substitute, deployed on the right side of the attack. Wrexham, who are further along in their pre-season preparations with their first competitive game against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup a week away, showed a physical edge as the first half progressed.

Despite Wrexham’s efforts, Sam Smith and Callum Doyle were unable to convert their chances against Liverpool’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. In the later stages of the game, Wrexham substitute Nathan Broadhead tested Mamardashvili with a powerful drive from 25 yards, which was pushed away. Brunt and Kieffer Moore also had late opportunities to equalize but misjudged their shots from close range.

The match saw Liverpool complete 651 passes with an 89.2% accuracy, while Wrexham made 408 passes with 80.6% accuracy. In terms of defence, Wrexham had 17 total tackles and a 70.6% tackle win rate, compared to Liverpool’s 4 total tackles and 50% win rate. Wrexham also had more clearances with 19 to Liverpool’s 12. Liverpool’s next fixture is not specified, but they were flying back to Chicago immediately after the match.

Source: bbc.co.uk