A foul by Ngumoha gave the visitors a free-kick which allowed them to push men up for the set-piece.
Rio Ngumoha impressed on his debut aged just 16 but Accies can also be proud of the spirited show they put on for their noisy supporters and went close themselves when Josh Woods hit the woodwork at 2-0.
Darwin Nunez was involved in the action as Liverpool pressed for an early advantage.
PLAYER RATINGS
The possession stats after 25 minutes read at 83% for Liverpool but it didn’t feel like that with Crellin rarely bothered during that period.
Referee: L Smith 7
First-time passes by Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold released Nunez in acres of space down the right.
After Ngumoha had a shot blocked, the full-back picked up the ball on the right edge of the penalty are drilled it into the top corner before Crellin could react.
Ironically, it was when Accrington pushed forward that the home side struck.
For once, the Uruguayan got his head up and showed composure to slide a pass into Jota’s feed to tap home from six yards.
It was the Portuguese international’s seventh goal of the season and made the first Liverpool player to score against Accrington since 1950s legend Billy Liddell.
Even so, the minnows could hold their head high. The famous milk advert which ran for six years from 1989 had a young Liverpool fan asking: ‘Accrington Stanley, who are they?’ They can be proud of showing everyone at Anfield they are a proper football team.
Trent Alexander-Arnold put Liverpool in a commanding position before the break with a stunning drive
Ngumoha got an embrace from manager Arne Slot when he was replaced after 72 minutes. It was an impressive debut but for the closing stages the Liverpool manager wanted his side to regain the momentum.
Federico Chiesa, who won the Italian Cup with Juventus last season, replaced Szoboszlai at half-time for his first experience of the English version.
The League Two outfit made light of the 86 places between them and the Premier League leaders until Diogo Jota broke the deadlock following a swift counter-attack after half-an-hour.
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrated wearing the captain’s armband with a stunning strike as Liverpool saw off the resistance of plucky underdogs Accrington Stanley.
Tsimikas headed a clearance and from there Liverpool broke with rapid conviction.
