By McGeorge Mbare
Rio Ngumoha etched his name into Liverpool’s history books by becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer with a dramatic late winner against Newcastle United on Monday night.
At just 16 years and 361 days old, Ngumoha displayed composure far beyond his age when he fired a 100th-minute strike past goalkeeper Nick Pope to seal a 3-2 victory for the reigning Premier League champions at St James’ Park.
The teenager had only been on the pitch for four minutes, coming on for his Premier League debut under coach Arne Slot alongside Harvey Elliott, before delivering the decisive moment.
The goal capped a rapid rise for Ngumoha, who has quickly forced his way into Slot’s first-team plans for Liverpool’s title defence. It was his third goal in a red shirt this season, adding to two goals and two assists registered during pre-season friendlies last month.
Ngumoha has long been regarded as one of England’s brightest young prospects. He joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of eight in 2016 before moving to Anfield, where his development has continued at pace.