Slot hails fearless Ngumoha after St James' Park heroics

Arne Slot believes Rio Ngumoha's fearlessness allowed him to become the second-youngest player to score a Premier League winner, as Liverpool claimed a thrilling 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.

Liverpool looked to have thrown two points away on Tyneside when they were pegged back from 2-0 to 2-2, despite Newcastle having Anthony Gordon sent off late in the first half.

Gordon's red card came between strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, but Newcastle hit back through Bruno Guimaraes and William Osula. 

However, Ngumoha struck the decisive goal 10 minutes into stoppage time to silence a buoyant St James' Park crowd, beating Nick Pope with a confident first-time finish.

With Ngumoha being four days away from his 17th birthday, only Wayne Rooney has netted the winning goal in a Premier League match at a younger age.

Rooney was one day younger than Ngumoha when he famously scored Everton's winner against Arsenal in October 2002.

Overall, only two other players have scored in the competition at a younger age – James Vaughan (16 years, 270 days) and James Milner (16 years, 356 days).

Speaking to Sky Sports after full-time, Slot said: "It was a great goal for a 16-year-old. Rio can finish so well for his age. 

"I did hear someone say afterwards in the dressing room that he would have taken a first touch, but he is so confident! For his age, he is a really good finisher."

Monday's game represented the first time Liverpool had conceded two goals while their opponents were down to 10 men in a Premier League match since December 2001, versus Arsenal.

Slot felt Newcastle's ultra-direct approach helped them mitigate their numerical disadvantage, saying: "I'm not too sure if I saw a football match today. 

"It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws... It didn't have a lot to do with tactics, or what I said before the game, but I liked a lot how we stood strong. 

"Going down to 10 men, you would expect that it is a big plus for us, but when a goalkeeper takes every free-kick, there's not so much help if you are one player up. That's why it was so difficult for us to bring the 2-0 over the line.

"From a set-piece, a long throw-in, a long ball from the goalkeeper, you don't need an extra man. It's always nice to have an extra player on hand, but it's just not as beneficial as if they want to bring the ball out from the back and we can press them. 

"But I think every fan everywhere around the world enjoyed watching this game of football, also because their fans were amazing in terms of the help they gave the home team."

The game was played out in a fiery atmosphere, as Liverpool continue to be linked with a record-breaking move for Newcastle's wantaway striker Alexander Isak.

And the presence of Ekitike, who rejected Newcastle when he joined the Reds from Eintracht Frankfurt, added further spice as the home fans booed his every touch.

Asked if Liverpool would make another bid for Isak before the transfer window closes next Monday, Slot said: "I think the story should be about Hugo Ekitike scoring another goal for us and it wouldn't be fair for me to talk about anything else. 

"He's been three games with us now, scored three goals and impacted the games he played. This is not the place to talk about anything else, but I can understand you asking."