Rio Ngumoha scored in the 100th minute as Liverpool once again garnered a dramatic game-winner, this time 3-2 over Newcastle at St. James Park. Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitiké gave the Reds a 2-0 lead, but a 10-man Newcastle side drew level at 2-2 in the 88th minute, setting up Ngumha's heroics.
First Half
Newcastle earned a corner in the first minute, but it was cleared. Ryan Gravenberch then picked up a yellow card in the 8th minute. Liverpool's first shot came from Florian Wirtz, but Nick Pope made a save.
Liverpool continued to show a lack of discipline with numerous fouls and two more yellow cards inside the first 20 minutes. The Magpie's Anthony Gordon had three chances at goal near the half-hour mark, but Alisson made a save, and the other shots were high.
Even though Newcastle were controlling the run of play, the Reds got on the board first. A short pass from Cody Gakpo found Ryan Gravenberch, who drilled a shot in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute. The match turned again when Gordon flew in for a hard challenge of Virgil van Dijk. After a VAR review, Gordon was shown a red card and sent off to give the Reds a man advantage and a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Second Half
The second half started with a bang for Liverpool as Hugo Ekitiké scored seconds into the frame, thanks to a second assist from Gakpo in the match. From that point, Liverpool began to dominate the match, but Newcastle would not go away. Bruno Guimarães scored on a header in the 57th minute to cut the Magpies' deficit to 2-1.
That goal seemed to energise Newcastle, but Liverpool stood strong against the waves of attack. The sting came out of the game as there were several stoppages for injuries. Liverpool continued to try to melt the clock as Newcastle had all the momentum. That momentum paid off in the 88th minute when William Osula found the bottom corner to tie the match at 2-2.
With so many stoppages early in the contest, there were 11 minutes of stoppage time added to the end of the match. On several occasions, it looked as if Newcastle were going to be the ones with the game-winner, but the Liverpool defence stood tall. When the Reds finally did relieve the pressure, that's when the magic happened.
Mohamed Salah played a cross into the box that Dominik Szoboszlai got a slight touch to backheel the ball to Rio Ngumoha, and the 16-year-old did the rest confidently, finishing in the 100th minute to give Liverpool the dramatic 3-2 win.
Sweet 16
Rio Ngumoha became the youngest player to score a game-winner in an EPL match ever. He now holds the honour by one day over the great Wayne Rooney by one day who scored a game-winner for Everton over Arsenal in 2002. Ngumoha also becomes the youngest Liverpool player to score a goal of any kind, passing Ben Woodburn on the list to score. The strike also marks the latest game-winner in an EPL match in the 100th minute. Dejan Kulusevski of Spurs was the previous record holder vs Sheffield in the 99th minute.
Even More Records
Liverpool have now scored in 22 straight matches away from Anfield, a club record. The run started back in April of 2024 under Jürgen Klopp. Altogether, Liverpool have scored in 36 straight EPL matches.
A Look At The Stats
The stats show just how physical the match was. There were 32 total fouls (17 for Newcastle, 15 for Liverpool) and five total cards, including a red card. Surprisingly, despite being down to 10 men, Newcastle outshot Liverpool 10-5, but the Reds held the advantage in shots on goal at 4-3.
LFC Globe Verdict
I don't know if my heart can take a full season of late game-winners, but the first two matches have been exciting. First, Frederico Chiesa vs. Bournemouth and now this. I said before the season that Liverpool were going to get everyone's best shot, and they have. So far, the champions have stood tall with a pair of wins. There are still some concerns with the defence, but for now, I'm going to enjoy these three points.
Man Of The Match
Up untill the 100th minute, I was going to give it to Cody Gakpo, who had two assists or Dominik Szoboszlai, who played very well at right back. But how could you not give it to Ngumoha? What the young lad did just four minutes after coming on the pitch was incredible.
What Next
Liverpool face Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, August 31st, in a matchup of two of the EPL's unbeaten sides.
Goals
Newcastle
1. Bruno Guimarães 57'
2. William Osula 88'
Liverpool
1. Ryan Gravenberch 35'
2.Hugo Ekitiké 46'
3. Rio Ngumoha 90+'
Substitutes
Newcastle
- Lewis Miley for Sandro Tonali 66'
- William Osula for Harvey Barnes 76'
- Lewis Hall for Kieran Trippier 76'
- Jacob Ramsey for Joelinton 76'
- Malick Thiaw for Fabian Schar 81'
Liverpool
- Ferderico Chiesa for Hugo Ekitiké 80'
- Conor Bradley for Florian Wirtz 80'
- Rio Ngumoha for Cody Gakpo 90+'
- Harvey Elliott for Curtis Jones 90+'
- Wataru Endo for Mohamed Salah 90+
