Youngsters steal the show! Liverpool batter Athletic Club as 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha and Darwin Nunez score in first game of Anfield double header

It took Liverpool just two minutes to break the deadlock as academy player Ngumoha scored a stunning opening goal. The teenage sensation won the ball near the centre circle and made a solo run down the middle before launching a long-range shot from the edge of the box which went straight into the goal. 

Ngumaho then played an important role in Nunez's goal just three minutes after he scored the opener. He headed the ball towards the Uruguayan from Ben Doak's pinpoint cross and the forward completed a simple tap-in to double his team's lead.

In the 20th minute, the Anfield crowd rose to applaud, along with the managers and the players on the pitch as a mark of respect for their late footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically passed away last month.

At the stroke of half-time, Doak made a phenomenal run down the right side before cutting in on his left foot. As the winger approached the goal, he unleashed a powerful shot from a difficult angle, which went past Athletic goalkeeper Alex Padilla.

Athletic Club had their moments in the first half but were unable to convert them, with one of their chances coming off the crossbar, while a second attempt was stopped by Reds custodian Freddie Woodman. 

Just 10 minutes after the break, Liverpool further piled on the Spanish opponents' misery as they scored a fourth goal. Nyoni, another Reds academy product, turned the key architect for the move as the youngster found Nunez inside the box with a perfect pass. Nunez was quick to react to the situation, in turn finding Harvey Elliott who struck the back of the net.

The visitors pulled one back in the 76th minute of the match as Gorka Guruzeta took advantage of awful defending from Luca Stephenson and headed into the Reds' net from close range. 

Arne Slot will be happy to see some of his youngsters shine with the opportunity they were provided with and the Dutch tactician will surely be looking forward to utilising some of the young talents during the course of the 2025-26 campaign. 

Reds youth player Ngumoha stole the show in the first friendly match of the Anfield double header as he scored the opening goal and contributed with an assist for Nunez's effort with a brilliant header. The 16-year-old remained on the pitch for 67 minutes and was an absolute livewire.

Slot will definitely draw a lot of positives from the first friendly match against Athletic Club as Ngumoha and Nyoni, two of Liverpool's brightest prospects, had brilliant outings and contributed massively to the team's 4-1 win. While the youngsters might not get too many opportunities to showcase their talent in the upcoming season, they are talents to look out for in the future. 

Nunez is slowly but surely gaining confidence by regularly featuring for the Premier League champions in the pre-season friendlies and is also scoring goals. If the Uruguayan ends up staying at Anfield, we could witness a new and improved version of the striker in the 2025-26 campaign. Another Liverpool star to look out for is Doak, who has been in great form while operating on the right flank in the friendly matches. 

Slot's men will be up against the same opponents at 20:00 BST for a second consecutive friendly of the day.