A year after he signed with Liverpool, Rio Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest scorer and the fourth youngest goal scorer at the age of 16 years and 361 days in Premier League history with his injury-time goal against Newcastle United at St James Park on Monday night.
Ngumoha, who turns 17 this Friday, was playing his maiden Premier League match on Monday night as replacement and became the fourth youngest player to score in a Premier League match after Everton’s James Vaughan (16 years and 270 days), Leeds’ James Milner (16 years and 256 days) and Everton’s Wayne Rooney (16 years and 360 days) record.
Hailing the youngster’s goal, which came in the 100th minute of the match after a Mohammad Salah low pass, Liverpool manager Arne Slot had termed the youngster as a ‘really good finisher’
“It was a great goal for a 16-year-old. Rio can finish so well for his age. I did hear someone say afterwards in the dressing room he would have taken a first touch, but he is so confident. For his age, he is a really good finisher,” Slot told Sky Sports post the match.
A Chelsea youth academy product for eight years, Ngumoha, who is of Nigerian descent, was named player of the tournament during Chelsea’s U-16 national title in 2023 and made his debut for the Chelsea U21 side last year. The London-born England international would not get a chance for the senior Chelsea side and had shown his wish to move from Chelsea to Liverpool’s academy.
In 2024, the Premier League approved his signing by Liverpool after the club passed a five-step review in such cases. Since then, Ngumoha was part of Liverpool’s U18 side under then-coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. Ngumoha made his professional debut under Slot when the teenager started in a FA Cup match against Accrington Stanley last season at the age of 16 years and 135 days and became the youngest player to start in a first-team match for Liverpool.
Prior to this season, Ngumoha played in two friendlies for Liverpool. His goal on Monday night also made him the youngest goal scorer for Liverpool as he surpassed Ben Woodburn’s earlier record of being the youngest goal-scorer for the club at the age of 17 years and 45 days with his goal against Leeds United in the League Cup in 2016.
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Ngumoha would talk about his feat and how Slot told him to get ready in injury time. “I’m so happy to score, especially the winner, what a good moment. It was crazy, he (Slot) just looked at me and pointed at me like, ‘Quickly, get ready and you just have to come on and make an impact’, and luckily and thank God I did that. All of my teammates, they’re always encouraging me, if it’s on, to beat my man or take them on, but I’ve just got to mix it up sometimes because if there’s two players there, there might be a pass, a one-two and then you get it back. Normally, last season academy coaches and first team coaches are always saying, ‘Make the back post (run)’, and the fact that I made the back post obviously is just crazy. As the ball came, I just backed myself to score.” Ngumoha told LFC TV.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also showered praise on the teenager. “It’s a dream debut for him. I’m very pleased with Rio. I’ve said it to him already, it all starts now. He has to keep working hard and stay humble but definitely have to enjoy this because these nights, you can’t take them for granted if you’re in his position. I’m sure with the players we have he will be back in training and having a hard session tomorrow again,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
