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Liverpool's $400 million spending spree in the summer transfer market came with the promise of entertainment, but early on in the Premier League season, it is clear the reigning champions have a flair for the dramatic – and are happy to call upon a range of players to help deliver it.

The latest player to step up to the plate was not one of their flashy new signings but rather 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who marked his Premier League debut in style with the game-winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time in the Reds' 3-2 victory over Newcastle United on Monday. A back-and-forth match had already played out by the time Ngumoha came on in the 96th minute, with Liverpool boasting a 2-0 advantage and up a player by the 46th minute, only for their habitually shaky defense to allow the Magpies back into the game by the 88th minute. Liverpool manager Arne Slot left Mohamed Salah on the pitch in the dying minutes of the match, but by the time Ngumoha began play in the sixth of 11 minutes of stoppage time, none of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo were on the pitch.

Ngumoha made his brief cameo count with a game-winner in the 100th minute in an excellent team play. Salah had the ball on the right edge of the penalty area and sent the ball to his left, where Dominik Szoboszlai was waiting. The Hungary international, though, came up with the dummy and the ball landed to Ngumoha, who was all alone and wasted no time slotting the ball into the net, just inside the post with ultimate precision.

Here's what you need to know about Liverpool's newest goalscorer, who became the Premier League's youngest game-winner just four days before his 17th birthday.

Rio Ngumoha's upward trajectory with Liverpool

Ngumoha is a product of Chelsea's academy, but he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2024 after reportedly failing to agree on a new contract with the Blues, a few months removed from scoring in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the U-17 Premier League Cup. Former Chelsea captain John Terry is an admirer, previously writing on social media that "this boy is and will be a top player."

Slot took a fairly quick liking to Ngumoha, who trained with the first team at times during the 2024-25 season and made his professional debut during their FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley in the third round. Ngumoha was the second youngest player to make his debut for the Reds at 16 years and 135 days, behind only Jerome Sinclair. He also joined the senior team for their preseason tour of Asia this summer, notching an assist in a friendly against AC Milan and scoring against Yokohama F. Marinos.

Rio Ngumoha's youth career with Liverpool

Despite spending some time with the first team last season, Ngumoha spent more time during his first year at Liverpool with their Premier League 2 team, which finished 16th and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He played eight matches last season, starting seven of them, and scored two goals along the way.

Arne Slot on Rio Ngumoha during preseason

Slot understandably downplayed Ngumoha's potential during their preseason tour, when he caught onlookers' attention with a goal and assist in Asia.

"We've only played two games over here and we haven't played against Premier League opponents yet, but I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising," Slot said after the win against Marinos. "Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that's something else. But he's definitely a player who shows that if he keeps bringing these performances in, it definitely won't be the last time he plays a few minutes for Liverpool. It's all about consistency. He needs to show it every single day we're on the pitch. Rio is showing things every time in preseason."