3 Liverpool talents impress Andoni Iraola as Harvey Elliott chance missed - 5 talking points vs Wrexham

Rio Ngumoha scored what proved to be the winner for Liverpool against Wrexham in New York, with Andoni Iraola's men edging a scrappy affair in Yankee Stadium. After a fairly dull first half in which very little happened, the introduction of Ngumoha , among others, did little to change the trajectory of the game. Even Jeremie Frimpong , who got just under half an hour, failed to inject any pace or urgency. Eventually, though, Ngumoha did force a strike past Danny Ward, with a deflected effort that looped in. While results are not that important in pre-season, there were fewer signs of the style that Iraola wants to implement in this game compared to the last. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded. Trey Nyoni was excellent when he came on against Sunderland at the weekend, and he was handed the chance to play from the start here. The 19-year-old is a huge talent, with his poise and composure in possession. Without much in the way of movement or speed around him, Nyoni could only do so much on this occasion, but it was another step in the right direction for him. That he completed 59 of 63 passes tells a story: he was efficient and pretty heavily involved. Szoboszlai aside, the ex-Leicester starlet was probably the standout in the first half. In a way, it was a shame to see Nyoni replaced by Curtis Jones for the second period. Jones needs the minutes, of course, but Nyoni stood out more. He did a better job than Harvey Elliott , too, who could have done with leaving a bit more of an impression in the two appearances he has made so far this summer. Josh Abe celebrated his 16th birthday less than two weeks ago, and yet he was starting for Liverpool at Yankee Stadium. It was a big stage to perform on, but the teen did alright. After less than three minutes, Abe missed a big chance to score when he was played through by a brilliant Elliott pass. After that, he was on the periphery. A couple of years his senior, Ngumoha came on in his place at the interval. Operating on the right-hand side, Ngumoha was lively, but didn't beat his marker many times. His goal, while heavily directed, at least came from some direct running. Liverpool was lacking that for 75 minutes until he popped up, invited by some limited Wrexham defending. Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye were very good a few days ago, and Luke Chambers showed what he can do here. He was calm and composed at the back, playing in the center. Chambers has a decent amount of experience in the Championship after loans with Wigan and Charlton and at 22, he is ready for the next step in his career. The Preston-born defender showed that here. Iraola has spoken often about needing more options in defense, and Chambers, of the young group of players, is probably the closest to being ready, given Ndukwe's work permit issues . He won't help fill the right-back void, however, as he is left-footed. Calvin Ramsay is a natural full-back, but the Scottish full-back surely needs a move. He was effectively written off by Arne Slot last term, and, though he was solid enough here, it would be a concern if Liverpool had to rely on him for a sustained period. It would be fair to say this was not the best pitch that Liverpool has ever played on . The turf was not in great condition, while the width of the field was barely extended beyond the penalty area (that is one way of dealing with having few options out wide: simply ensure everyone has to play through the middle). We didn't learn a great deal, in truth, but no risks were taken, with the group minus one because of Federico Chiesa's illness . The bigger barometers of where Liverpool is at are very much still to come. Once again, this was a demonstration of just how small the Liverpool roster is at the moment. In the starting XI, there was only really Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez with a realistic chance of playing against Newcastle in the Premier League opener (though Nyoni might be playing himself into contention). That will change soon, of course. Florian Wirtz , Alexander Isak, Ryan Gravenberch and Jeremy Jacquet could feature against Leeds at the weekend, while Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are training back in England. Liverpool is still lacking numbers, though. Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are all currently out, and the defense is a priority. Bradley Barcola is a name that will be spoken about a lot in the days to come too. For all that the good work is continuing on the training field and in matches like this one, Liverpool needs more signings. Without those, Iraola's coaching will be held back.