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Two teenagers and a £116million man fired Liverpool to victory in Japan as they came from behind to beat Yokohama F Marinos in the final outing of their tour of Asia.
Trey Nyoni, 18, and Rio Ngumoha, 16, scored fine goals after big-money Florian Wirtz pulled the Reds level in the late-night heat and humidity of the Nissan Stadium.
Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele was in situ at the 2002 World Cup final venue and here are his big talking points…
Florian Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal in their friendly win over Yokohama Marinos
Arne Slot's side battled a difficult surface and gave him food for thought in the 3-1 victory
Rio is the real deal
There is a lot of chatter at Liverpool about Ngumoha being the best kid in the academy and that he is a big prospect.
That is wrong… he is no longer a prospect. He is ready now.
After signing from Chelsea this time last summer, the 16-year-old has been earning rave reviews from academy observers – but this pre-season has taken his standing with Arne Slot to a whole new level.
His goal here, in the second half, came after a long run into space, taking a player on and finishing with style. Several minutes earlier, he beat a man but saw a shot well saved. He did not let that get to him and kept plugging away, showing his mentality.
Ngumoha must be protected in terms of not playing too much football when he is too young – and thus causing him fitness problems later in his career – but he is absolutely ready to be part of the first-team squad now.
Rio Ngumoha scored a fine solo goal for Liverpool and looks ready now despite being just 16
…as Nyoni also takes his chance
Ngumoha’s good mate, the 18-year-old midfielder Nyoni, is perhaps not talked about in the same frequency as the former because he is often rated as the best kid in Liverpool’s academy.
But Nyoni is just as big a talent that fans should get excited about.
He took his goal well here, continued to pop up in dangerous areas and it is believed that Slot rates him very highly.
After playing several times for the first team last season, this could be the year that he truly kicks on and he has been playing a big role in training sessions, impressing the coaching staff.
Meanwhile, fellow youngster Ben Doak was not available for selection for this game due to a passport issue that meant the Scotsman could not get the necessary visa to play professional sports in Japan.
He was allowed entry into the country on a general visitor visa and has trained with the squad but, due to rules here, a special permit is required for those who are paid for playing sports.
Doak has a lot of interest for either a permanent or loan move this summer, so it was a shame for all parties that he could not feature.
Trey Nyoni was also on target for Liverpool, finishing off a superb cross from Jeremie Frimpong
Ben Doak, left, was not available for Liverpool in the friendly as a result of a passport issue
Hugo not boss… yet
This was the first chance for Liverpool fans to see £69million signing Hugo Ekitike, who officially joined the club last week and jetted into Hong Kong to meet his new team-mates.
He has looked sharp in training but the 45 minutes he had here in Yokohama were nothing to write home about, as the saying goes.
The Frenchman did hold the ball up nicely but the service was lacking so it is hard to come up with a serious mark for Ekitike on his unofficial debut.
More importantly for the 23-year-old is the minutes in the legs ahead of what will be a long season. Yes, a bid is in the pipeline for another No 9, Alexander Isak, but regardless of that Ekitike will play a lot and he looks a solid option.
New signing Hugo Ekitike got his first minutes in a Liverpool shirt but had little service
Nunez reeling fans back in
Speaking of No 9s, it is easy to forget that £85million man Darwin Nunez is still knocking about at Liverpool.
The Uruguayan has been long linked with a move away from the club – Napoli and Saudi Arabian clubs have posted an interest – but going into the last month of the transfer window, he is still a Liverpool player.
Before this game, he had scored four goals in 90 minutes of pre-season action… and he had some nice touches here, too.
It is understood that he has also been impressing in training and showing a positive attitude.
And that begs the question: could Nunez still make it at Liverpool? This will be his fourth season and, after three up-and-down campaigns, it is now or never. Maybe it is too late but he is reeling Reds fans in with a string of fine performances in the off-season.
He did, though, miss a sitter at 1-0 here.
Darwin Nunez has been impressing despite being linked with a move away from Liverpool
Wirtz on fire again
Liverpool paid £116million for Wirtz, so this is clearly one of the best players in the world… but his pre-season performances have made fans reach an excitement level that is bordering on stratospheric.
To put it simply, he is already the centrepiece of this team alongside Mohamed Salah. The pair combine as if they have been playing together for years – and Wirtz is giving Liverpool a new dimension in the middle of the park.
Dominik Szoboszlai had a stellar season last term but Wirtz is on a different level in terms of creativity.
He took his goal well here but the main thing he gives is a constant threat every time he gets the ball. The German is always causing mischief, making stuff happen and looking to pick holes in the opposition defence.
It might be a bold prediction but, if he stays fit, he is my pick for the player of the season award.
Florian Wirtz already looks like giving Liverpool a new dimension following his £116m move
How did other new boys do?
New goalkeeper Mamardashvili made a fine stop in the first half to deny a header from point-blank range.
The Georgia No 1, who signed last summer but did not officially join the club until earlier this window, also looked comfortable with the ball at his feet.
Milos Kerkez had some dashing runs down the left-hand side in the first half, while Jeremie Frimpong added a different dimension with his pace and power on the right when he came on.
The former Bayer Leverkusen wing back helped Liverpool go ahead minutes after his introduction with a sensational assist that put the ball on a plate for goal-scorer Nyoni.
Slot’s men have made some record-breaking, headline-making signings this summer with Wirtz and Ekitike, but the new full backs look a brilliant upgrade.
