Rio Ngumoha, 18, supplied two assists as Liverpool recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. Ngumoha did not score but his pair of chances helped turn the game and ensure a third straight win in all competitions for the Reds.
Villarreal took a shocking early lead after a lapse from Virgil van Dijk allowed Georges Mikautadze to finish inside four minutes, and Sergi Cardona doubled the visitors’ advantage shortly before the half-hour mark. Alexis Mac Allister pulled one back for Liverpool with a header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner before the break.
Ngumoha then cut the game open, beating three defenders before curling a cross toward the far post for Ronald Araújo to nod home. In the second half he drove inside from the right and flashed a ball across the face of goal for Mac Allister to score again. Substitute Florian Wirtz added Liverpool’s fourth from a Cody Gakpo cutback.
The victory did not come without late tension: Villarreal’s Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi also scored at the far post as the visitors sought a late response. The match showcased Ngumoha’s ability to unsettle fullbacks after opponents began doubling up on him early in the contest.
Ngumoha broke into Liverpool’s first team as a left winger under Arne Slot last season but has faced increased competition this term following the summer signings of Bradley Barcola for £123 million and Víctor Muñoz, as well as the resurgence of Cody Gakpo. After the game Ngumoha told Amazon Prime, “It’s up there with one of the best I’ve played…I’ll just keep going and be ruthless.” He had previously told ESPN in preseason that adaptability was a skill he sought to develop.
Ngumoha also became the youngest player on record since 2008-09 to complete five or more dribbles (7), register 10 or more touches in the opposition box (12) and record two assists in a Champions League match, according to ESPN.
