Rio Ngumoha, the 16-year-old winger, delivered a scintillating performance as Liverpool defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in a pre-season friendly at Anfield. The teenager opened the scoring and set up Darwin Núñez within the first five minutes, bolstering his case for a first-team role under manager Arne Slot.
Ngumoha, who cannot sign a professional contract until he turns 17 later this month, scored a fine individual goal in the second minute, curling into the bottom corner from 20 yards. He then headed down a Ben Doak cross for Núñez to convert from close range. The display prompted chants of “Rio” from the Kop and underscored why Chelsea were unhappy to lose him.
The match also featured a tribute to the late Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, with former captain Phil Thompson and Athletic president Jon Uriarte laying wreaths before kick-off. A minute’s applause was held in the 20th minute of both games.
Liverpool were without Virgil van Dijk due to illness, while Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez missed out through injury. The second friendly of the double-header ended 3-2 to Liverpool, with new signings Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong making their first appearances for the club.
