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Liverpool ran out winners in a double-header friendly with Athletic Bilbao.

Rio Ngumoha opened the scoring in the first game after barely two minutes with a sublime effort from distance into the top lefthand corner of the net.

The Reds doubled their advantage a short while later as Darwin Nunez rounded off a flowing move by side-footing comfortably in front of The Kop.

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Ben Doak added a third before the interval which was helped in by Alex Padilla before Harvey Elliott scored with a well-struck effort in the second half.

The visitors clawed back their deficit when Gorka Guruzeta beat Armin Pecsi after capitalising on a mistake from substitute Luca Stephenson.

In the second encounter, Arne Slot’s side broke the deadlock courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s well-taken finish following a Hugo Ekitike cut-back.

But the hosts were level-pegged shortly before the half-hour mark as Oihan Sancet was able to plunder for the Basque outfit at The Kop’s far post.

Cody Gakpo restored home advantage shortly after the interval by turning the ball home from Unai Simon parrying Ryan Gravenberch’s initial attempt.

Los Leones struck back midway through the second half through Maroan Sannadi meeting a corner at the near post to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Gakpo doubled his tally by squeezing a shot through Simon’s hands to ensure that the Premier League champions made it a perfect double on the night.

Salah should have extended their lead further from the penalty spot after Wataru Endo was taken down but skied his effort over the crossbar.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Arne Slot will struggle to keep a lid on the hype surrounding Rio Ngumoha.

Hopes have been high for the teenage winger since his arrival from Chelsea last summer and fuelled by last January’s impressive cameo in the FA Cup.

Fresh from a star turn during Liverpool’s tour of Asia, Ngumoha did little to dampen expectations with a goal and an assist in the first game with Athletic.

A quickfire opener, nestling into the top lefthand corner of Alex Padilla’s net, was a sublime piece of skill which had The Kop soon chanting his name.

His second goal involvement saw Ben Doak’s cross smartly knocked into the path of Darwin Nunez to create a rare goal for the much-maligned forward.

The Reds are no strangers to burgeoning talents and at the risk of building him up too much, Ngumoha’s rise has echoes of that of Raheem Sterling.

If the 16-year-old can continue to match the billing he has enjoyed in this pre-season, comparisons with his fellow Londoner will prove more than justified.

Unprecedented levels of spending this summer have seen Liverpool’s ability to successfully defend their Premier League crown called into question.

It’s not been without foundation, either, given those who have achieved a rare feat of back-to-back titles did so with incremental changes to their squads.

Anfield was no different in its trophy-collecting heyday, which makes the current influx an intriguing prospect ahead of next Friday’s curtain-raiser.

But Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister notwithstanding, this was as close to a full-strength side as Slot could possibly name at his disposal.

The current evidence suggests the early fears may be unfounded with the four main summer additions slotting seamlessly into their new surroundings.

Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike dovetailed in the front line while Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez did similar at the opposite end of the pitch.

Even Giorgi Mamardashvili, stepping up in lieu of Alisson, dealt with Athletic’s attacking onslaught in the closing stages adeptly with several strong stops.

Whether that coherence can be maintained over the course of a season will be the real test but as first impressions go, this was a strong start.

Amid all the excitement, Liverpool still showed signs of vulnerability.

The reigning Premier League champions ascended to glory last term despite set pieces proving their Achilles’ heel with the third-highest concession rate.

Only Arsenal and Wolves fared worse for goals shipped from corners or free kicks during the previous campaign, and little appears to have changed.

Slot’s men were undone twice from the tactic as Oihan Sancet met a ball to the far post before a Cody Gakpo own goal later compounded matters.

Granted, errors made in pre-season are not often a sign of trends to come in the campaign ahead yet it is concenning that this one reared its head again.

Van Dijk’s absence through illness and Alisson tending to a personal matter offers a case for mitigation that such mistakes can and will be ironed out.

Still, it is one area where Liverpool doubtless be keen to improve and fast.


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