An ecstatic Rio Ngumoha couldn’t contain his joy after writing himself in Liverpool folklore on Monday night.
The 16-year-old, who turns 17 on Friday, scored a second-half stoppage-time winner for the Reds as they won 3-2 at rivals Newcastle in a frenetic Premier League encounter.
The teenager is now the youngest scorer in the club’s fabled history with that strike in what proved to be a fairytale English top-flight debut.
And reflecting on the magnitude of the moment, Ngumoha’s overriding emotion was elation.
‘I’m buzzing,’ the forward told LFCTV post-match. ‘I’m so happy to score, especially the winner. What a good moment. Special feeling.
‘Normally, coaches are saying “make the back post [run]”. So the fact I was able to make the back post was crazy.
Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha, 16, had plenty to smile about after scoring the winner at Newcastle
The 16-year-old became Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer in their history with this strike
He was left jumping for joy after his dramatic late winner gave Liverpool a 3-2 win at Newcastle
‘Mo [Salah] and Dom [Szoboszlai], put it through his legs and when I was one-on-one I just smashed it. Dom just knew I was there. He even said to me in the changing room “I hope you was there”.
‘As the ball came, I just backed myself to score. I don’t even know, it’s just crazy.’
Ngumoha came on in the 96th minute at St James’ Park and revealed what Arne Slot’s words were too as he made his debut.
‘It was crazy. He just looked at me, pointed at me “quickly, get ready”. You just have to come on and make an impact. Thank God I did that.’
The teenager was full of praise for his team-mates for encouraging him to express himself.
‘All of my team-mates encourage me that, if it’s on, to beat my man or take them on.
‘But I’ve got to mix it up sometimes because, if there are two players there, then there might be a pass or a one-two and I find myself in a scoring area.’
Despite his young years, Ngumoha showed some humility as he chose not to get carried away.
The forward shares a warm embrace with Liverpool manager Arne Slot at the full-time whistle
The teen praised his team-mates for giving him the confidence to express himself on Monday
‘I heard the fans scream my name and it was a very sensational moment.
‘But I can’t get too carried away with all the noise because at the end of the day I probably do that finish 100 times on the training ground so it’s no different with the fans. But the fans backing you there, makes it crazy.’
Liverpool fans will love to see their new starlet make a similar impact on Sunday when they host title rivals Arsenal at Anfield next.
