Liverpool ended their three-game tour of the United States with a 4-2 defeat to Leeds at Soldier Field in Chicago. The first half had enough encouraging signs to make the ratings feel split, with Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha both earning 8/10, but the match swung after the break once the substitutions came.
The youngsters who stood out
Nyoni was the standout of the night. The Liverpool Echo reporter called his cross-field pass for the second goal “sumptuous” and said his growing confidence was obvious, which fits the 8/10 he was given.
Ngumoha also finished on 8/10, and that is the most useful sign from Liverpool’s better spell. The young wide players were the ones driving the sharpest attacking moments, not the more established names around them.
Luke Chambers had already given Leeds the lead after Miloš Kerkez flicked on Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner delivery. Liverpool’s response before the interval was the part that made the night feel workable, even if it did not last.
The second-half drop-off
The collapse after half-time was harder to miss. Curtis Jones was one of only two players handed 4/10, and the Liverpool Echo reporter said he was at fault for Sean Longstaff’s goal. Kostas Tsimikas also received 4/10, with the report pointing to his role in the late defensive mess that followed Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second goal.
Leeds completed the comeback when Longstaff scored after Jones’s attempted clearance. Calvert-Lewin added two goals, including a late finish after Liverpool failed to deal with another long throw into the box.
That is the clearest read on the game. Liverpool had bright young performers in the first half, then paid for the reshuffle once the substitutions arrived. For a pre-season friendly, the ratings were blunt enough to show both sides of it.
The final talking point is not complicated. Nyoni and Ngumoha left with the best individual marks, Jones and Tsimikas were among the lowest-rated players, and Liverpool’s US tour ended with a 4-2 defeat at Soldier Field.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
