A dramatic stoppage-time winner from 16-year-old debutant Rio Ngumoha saw Liverpool snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory over a resilient 10-man Newcastle United at a feverish St James’ Park. The match was played against a backdrop of intense speculation surrounding Newcastle striker Alexander Isak’s desired move to Liverpool, which had fueled a boisterous atmosphere. Despite being reduced to 10 men just before halftime, Newcastle fought back valiantly from a 2-0 deficit, only to be heartbroken at the death by the teenage substitute.
The game began with Newcastle applying intense pressure, but Liverpool took the lead against the run of play in the 35th minute through Ryan Gravenberch’s low drive. The match then tilted heavily in Liverpool’s favour when Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon was shown a red card in first-half stoppage time. The visitors capitalized on their numerical advantage early in the second half, doubling their lead and seemingly putting the game out of reach for the beleaguered hosts.
However, showing tremendous resilience, the 10 men of Newcastle mounted a stunning comeback to level the score at 2-2, whipping the home crowd into a frenzy. They appeared to have secured a hard-fought point until the final moments of the extended stoppage time. Ngumoha, who had just come off the bench, wrote himself into the history books by thrashing home a first-time shot to become Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer and seal a breathtaking win for the reigning champions.
The result was a crushing blow for Newcastle, who put in a heroic performance despite the week’s distractions and numerical disadvantage. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk acknowledged the electric atmosphere, stating, “We know there was a lot of oil on the fire this week… we gave them the boost and the drive with the fans behind them but we managed to get the three points and move on.” The victory, sealed by a historic moment from its youngest star, allowed Liverpool to escape with a crucial three points.
