Rio Ngumoha becomes Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer by netting winner in thrilling victory over Newcastle | OneFootball

16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored an 100th minute winner to silence St. James’ Park and see Premier League champions Liverpool emerge with all three points, despite 10-man Newcastle completing a stunning 88th minute comeback after having fallen two goals behind.

Anthony Gordon saw red on the stroke of half-time, and despite all their efforts, Eddie Howe’s side fell agonisingly short and remain winless in the Premier League.

A deafening roar of hostility greeted the Premier League champions to St. James’ Park, fuelled by weeks of inter-club tensions concerning a certain Swede. A corner won by St. James’ Park debutant Anthony Elanga within the first minute stoked the fire that has been burning in every Geordie’s heart throughout the summer following a frustrating transfer window and the prospect of Isak leaving the club.

A mere eight minutes was all that was required for Simon Hooper to show the first card of the affair as the returning Ryan Gravenberch saw yellow following a mistimed lunge into Bruno Guimaraes. Scrappy would be an apt term to describe the opening stages of the affair, with a noticeably higher number of fouls than moments of quality.

While the Premier League champions have scarcely looked out of their depth under Slot’s tenure, the opening period of the game saw the Reds noticeably rocked by the atmosphere at St. James’ Park. Newcastle soon settled into a period of dominance, setting up shop in Liverpool’s half and putting Liverpool’s penalty area under siege.

A second Liverpool yellow card soon followed as Ibrahima Konaté brought down Anthony Gordon following an impressive turn from the makeshift Newcastle number nine. Moments later, Gordon came inches away from opening the scoring as the Englishman saw his header nestle on the roof of the net following an impressive delivery from compatriot Harvey Barnes.

Despite Newcastle’s period of sustained pressure, the visitors saw their attempt to take the sting out of the game successful and the Reds soon took their opportunity to silence St. James’ Park. Championship winning sides need only a moment to tip the balance of a game in their favour; with the returning Ryan Gravenberch stepping up to deliver such a moment for Slot’s side.

The Dutchman fired Liverpool into the lead in the 35th minute, undoing all of Newcastle’s hard work and turning the tide of the game. When it rains, it pours, and affairs quickly went from bad to worse for the hosts as Anthony Gordon was shown a red card moments before the half-time whistle. The 24-year-old, who came painstakingly close to opening the scoring for Newcastle, arrived horribly late in a challenge on Van Dijk and was subsequently given his marching orders for serious foul play following a VAR review.

A nightmare end to the opening period would be an understatement, as Eddie Howe saw all his side’s hard work unravel in mere moments.

A nightmare end to the first half was soon met by a similar beginning to the second, with Hugo Ekitike doubling Liverpool’s lead within 20 seconds of the restart. The Frenchman, who was long coveted by Newcastle before joining the Reds, doubled down on Newcastle’s misery with a pinpoint finish from the edge of the box and silencing St. James’ Park once more.

So many times in recent memory has Bruno Guimaraes given the Geordie faithful a moment to cheer about, with the captain delivering once more and renewing the hope of the hosts. Following a battle with Kerkez at the back post, Guimaraes outmuscled the Hungarian and headed home via the right-hand post.

The momentum of the game subsequently swung back in the favour of the hosts, with the Geordie faithful daring to dream of a comeback following Guimaraes’ goal. A triple change offered fresh legs for the home side, with debutant Jacob Ramsey hoping to make an immediate impression on Tyneside. The game reached a lull following Guimaraes’ goal, with neither side managing a shot for the ensuing 30 minutes.

Scarcely are teams with 10 men able to equalise against the Premier League champions, but Newcastle are no ordinary side. Eddie Howe’s mantra revolves around never giving up, fighting till the end, and the 88th minute saw William Osula epitomise the Newcastle way as he completed the hosts’ comeback.

The substitute kept his cool, holding off Gravenberch and slotting the ball beneath Alisson to send St. James’ Park into raptures and pulling the 10-man hosts level against all the odds. But Liverpool are Premier League champions for a reason. They possess the know-how and patience to win games and pick up points even when the performance might not warrant them.

The 100th minute brought heartbreak for the hosts, who saw their stunning comeback undone as 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha silenced St. James’ Park once and for all with a last-minute winner, slotting home and winning his side all three points, the stuff of teenage dreams.

The final whistle drew the curtain on a blockbuster affair and an instant Premier League classic, breaking the hearts of Newcastle and the champions making it two wins out of two.