Liverpool, July 20 (IANS) Darwin Nunez scored a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 5-0 victory over Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Sunday afternoon. The Uruguayan netted three times inside the opening 20 minutes of the contest with the Championship outfit at the AXA Training Centre.

Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa added their names to the scoresheet on either side of half-time, as the Reds made it two wins from two this summer before flying out for their tour to Asia.

Nunez opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an instinctive follow-up strike after Florian Wirtz’s attempted through-ball for Dominik Szoboszlai was only half-cleared.

He found the back of the net again six minutes later, adding the finishing touch to Szoboszlai’s low cross from the right at the end of a well-worked move.

His treble was completed within 14 minutes in the first half by nudging home a delivery from Curtis Jones inside the box.

The hosts’ lead was increased to four at the midway point in the opening period when Ngumoha received possession in the area, cut inside, and watched his deflected hit loop into the net.

Closer to the break, Jones, who had raced forward to meet Andy Robertson’s ball from the left flank, was unable to add the fifth, side-footing straight at goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

Fielding an entirely different outfield team when the game resumed, Liverpool were denied by the post early on, with Ben Doak the man left frustrated, having pounced on the rebound of a Chiesa shot that had been parried.

Cody Gakpo, Chiesa, and Doak tested stopper Jack Bonham in quick succession, before Armin Pecsi was called into action at the other end to keep out Tatsuki Seko’s header.

Wataru Endo was fractionally off target with his headed effort from a Gakpo corner, and Luca Stephenson then fired over from Jeremie Frimpong’s cut-back.

But the Reds finally had their fifth goal two minutes before the end of the 90. Gakpo was found at the back post by Frimpong and unselfishly squared to provide Chiesa a simple finish.

–IANS

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