St James’ Park produced an adrenaline-filled encounter that will go down as one of the Premier League classics. Five goals, a red card, a 10-man Newcastle United comeback, and a 100-minute winner from a 16-year-old. It rarely gets better than this in the Premier League. Rio Ngumoha deservedly takes the headlines by entering Liverpool’s record books as their youngest-ever Premier League goal scorer.
The Build-Up to the Game
The atmosphere in the build-up to the game was already hostile, centred around the villain of the story, Newcastle’s rebel striker, Alexander Isak. Alexander Isak, who has publicly shared his views on leaving the Magpies, is rumoured to join Liverpool. Newcastle United, however, remain steadfast in their stance and refuse to sell him unless their £150m valuation is met.
The game was certainly not short of subplots. Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s summer signing striker, was also rumoured to be Newcastle United’s prime transfer target. The Frenchman, however, opted for a move towards Merseyside, enraging the Newcastle United supporters. Ekitike’s name was jeered by them even before the ball was kicked. The supporters brought out a banner that said “Nothing is Achieved Alone. We are a City. A Whole Population. We are Newcastle United.”
How did the game unfold at St James’ Park?
The game was filled with highlights, owing to the high tension surrounding it. Newcastle United started the game strong, creating the majority of the chances. However, they clearly missed the presence of a natural No. 9 in Alexander Isak, failing to convert any of their early chances.
Ryan Gravenberch provided Liverpool with the lead, delivering a sucker punch. It went from bad to worse for Newcastle United. Their No.10 Anthony Gordon was sent off in the final minute of the first half, following a reckless challenge on Liverpool’s skipper Virgil van Dijk.
It was quickly turning into a night to forget for the Newcastle supporters. The man they earlier jeered, Hugo Ekitike, extended Liverpool’s lead in the first minute of the second half. Newcastle United needed to take advantage of their set pieces if they wanted to find a way back in the game. They did exactly that with Bruno Guimarães, capitalizing on a long throw-in from Tino Livramento. Newcastle United almost completed an astonishing comeback with 10 men as their young striker, William Osula, found the back of the net.
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Who is Rio Ngumoha?
The Black and White Army’s hopes of a remarkable comeback were shattered when 16-year-old wonderkid Rio Ngumoha scored a 100th-minute winner. A deserving final twist in the tale in a match filled with subplots, it is the 16-year-old who will take home the headlines.
This goal records him as the youngest goalscorer in the club’s 133-year history, at the age of just 16 years and 361 days. He also goes down as the fourth-youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, below the great Wayne Rooney by only a day (16 years and 360 days). If Monday night’s performance is a glimmer of what the Liverpool winger can provide, he certainly has an exciting career ahead of him. Tonight, Merseyside and Tyneside will “Remember the name”, Rio Ngumoha.
Written by: Thillai Ritvik
