Arne Slot challenges Rio Ngumoha to match Liverpool legend's legacy after dazzling in FA Cup

In partnership with

Evening Standard

·6 mars 2026

Arne Slot challenges Rio Ngumoha to match Liverpool legend's legacy after dazzling in FA Cup

Young winger was Reds’ best attacking outlet at Molineux

Arne Slot challenged Rio Ngumoha to match Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool legacy after he impressed in Liverpool’s 3-1 FA Cup defeat of Wolves on Friday night.

Vidéos OneFootball

The 17-year-old winger made a rare start on the left flank and kept the Wolves back-line on their heels throughout the match before he was replaced with 20 minutes left to play.

He left Molineux with the Man of the Match award under his arm, but Slot said he must follow Salah’s example as he looks to add consistency to his raw talent.

Asked to dissect the youngsters showing, Slot said: “Good performance, I think he was even better than when he came on three days ago. He kept the ball really well, was a threat constantly.

Wolves struggled to contain Rio Ngumoha

AFP via Getty Images

“A player that, as we know because we weren’t seeing him for the first time, he is able to beat his man in one-v-one situations.

“That is something you don’t see a lot in modern football, so good performance from him.

“That is special if you are 17 years old and you can impact a Premier League game - I know it is an FA Cup game, but two Premier League sides - in this manner that shows that he has a lot of qualities.”

He continued, imploring him to follow the lead of Liverpool’s senior players: “On the other side there is a player, Mo Salah, who he needs to take the example of.

“Being a good player is not so difficult but being a good player every three days over a long, long period of time is something we are going to work on with him to ensure he can get to those levels.”