The 16-year-old phenomenon and the double friendly that changed the outlook at Liverpool

VHO - Two wins against Athletic Bilbao in the same day, impressive debuts of new players, and the highlight being the brilliance of 16-year-old talent Rio Ngumoha helped Liverpool have an inspiring run at Anfield, heading towards the new season.

Young talent Ngumoha (middle) attracted attention with his brilliant performance

Ngumoha shines, young strikers play explosively

Liverpool kicked off the pre-season at home with a double friendly match against Athletic Club, bringing home two convincing wins (4-1 and 3-2) and a series of positive signals from all lines.

Most notable are the highlights of 16-year-old talent Rio Ngumoha, new signing Hugo Ekitike and striker Cody Gakpo – names that contribute to shaping the new attacking look for The Reds under coach Arne Slot.

In the first match of the afternoon, coach Arne Slot gave a chance to the young players and reserves. In the 2nd minute, Rio Ngumoha – a name that has been attracting attention since the beginning of the pre-season – made a solo breakthrough from the middle of the field and then finished beautifully to open the score.

Not stopping there, he continued to make his mark with an accurate header and pass for Darwin Núñez to finish close to the goal, raising the score to 2-0.

Ben Doak and Harvey Elliott added two more goals to give Liverpool a 4-0 lead, before Athletic equalised thanks to a header from Gorka Guruzeta. With a 4-1 win, Liverpool's young squad showed considerable potential and depth.

Gakpo scored twice in the win over Athletic Bilbao

Ekitike impressive debut, Gakpo scored twice

An hour later, in the second match, coach Slot launched a lineup with many pillars and new recruits such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike.

After just 14 minutes, Ekitike left his mark with a fast dribble and then crossed for Mohamed Salah to accurately finish and open the score.

Athletic equalised from a set-piece when Oihan Sancet capitalised on a scramble in the box. However, Liverpool quickly regained the lead when Cody Gakpo was on hand to tap in a rebound after a long-range shot was pushed away by goalkeeper Unai Simón.

An own goal cost Gakpo a point, but he made amends with a low, tricky shot in the 70th minute, sealing a 3-2 win for Liverpool. Salah then missed the chance to extend the lead when he missed a penalty at the end of the match.

Coach Arne Slot: Potential offense, defense needs improvement

Speaking after the match, coach Arne Slot was pleased: "We created a lot of chances and scored seven goals in two games - that's very positive. Especially in the first half of the second game, we could have scored more goals."

However, he also pointed out areas that needed improvement, especially the ability to defend in set pieces – where Liverpool conceded twice in the second match.

“Crystal Palace – our opponents in the Community Shield – are a very strong team in set pieces. That is definitely something we need to focus on this week.”

Looking forward to the new season: Opportunities for the next generation

The absence of a series of key players such as Van Dijk (sick), Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley (injured), or goalkeeper Alisson Becker (absent due to personal reasons), did not reduce Liverpool's attacking power. On the contrary, the brilliance of young players and rookies has helped coach Slot have more quality options for the new season.

In particular, the performance of Rio Ngumoha – a 16-year-old player with incredible speed, technique and confidence – is opening up a “new phenomenon” in Liverpool's attack.

Seven goals, two wins, several new faces to shine – Liverpool have sent a positive message from Anfield. With Salah, Gakpo, Ekitike and the young stars all speaking up, fans have reason to expect a transitional but promising season.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/hien-tuong-tuoi-16-va-tran-giao-huu-kep-lam-thay-doi-anh-nhin-o-liverpool-158869.html