Who Is Rio Ngumoha? Liverpool Teen Who Scored the Winner Against Newcastle United

Newcastle United and Liverpool served up another Premier League classic on Monday, and 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha emerged as the man of the moment. 

With the game level at 2-2, Arne Slot brought Ngumoha on in the sixth minute of injury time.

Four minutes later, Ngumoha applied a calm and collected finish to take the ball beyond Nick Pope and make it 3-2 for the Reds.

Newcastle played the majority of the game with 10 men. Anthony Gordon got marching orders late in the first half after his tackle, which Mark Clattenburg called horrible, brought down Virgil van Dijk.

WATCH: Rio Ngumoha Scores Winner in Liverpool vs Newcastle

Deep into stoppage time, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah sent the ball into the Newcastle box from the right. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped over the Egyptian’s pass, allowing the ball to run to Rio Ngumoha. The 16-year-old then applied a calm finish to send the ball beyond the helpless Nick Pope and into the side-netting.

Watch Ngumoha’s stunning finish below:

Rio Ngumoha GOAL ⚽
Liverpool won pic.twitter.com/aZEfLC80BL

— CEO of Nothing (@OfficialCEO_Not) August 25, 2025

With the goal at the death, debutant Ngumoha became the youngest player to score for Liverpool in the Premier League. His strike also extended the Reds’ stellar streak against Newcastle. The Reds, who are 2/1 with football betting sites to win the Premier League, are now unbeaten in 18 top-flight meetings with the Toons.

Who Is Rio Ngumoha?

Born on 29th August 2008, Rio Chima Ngumoha is 16 years and 362 days old at the time of writing.

He came through Chelsea’s academy (2016–2024) before signing for Liverpool in September 2024.

Last season, the English forward represented the Reds’ Under-18s and Under-21s. With the former team, he scored against the Blues in the Premier League Cup. Ngumoha also impressed in the Premier League 2, scoring and assisting in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last season.

16-YEAR-OLD RIO NGUMOHA COMES OFF THE BENCH AND SCORES HIS FIRST-CAREER PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL TO WIN IT IN STOPPAGE TIME FOR LIVERPOOL!!! pic.twitter.com/CmVe1RQ9Od

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 25, 2025

Liverpool manager Arne Slot have handed him his senior-team debut against Accrington Stanley in the Third Round of the FA Cup. Ngumoha performed well as the Merseysiders cruised to a 4-0 win over the underdogs.

Rio Ngumoha Showed His Quality During the 2025 Pre-Season

Arne Slot did not give Rio Ngumoha his Premier League debut out of the blue. The manager watched from close quarters as the teenage forward delivered impressive performances in pre-season.

Slot included Ngumoha on Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia. He chipped in with an assist as Liverpool lost 4-2 to AC Milan on July 26. Four days later, he was on the scoresheet as the English champions picked up a 3-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos.

Ngumoha has shown his quality at Anfield as well. In front of the Kop, he emerged as the man of the match as Liverpool beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in a friendly in August. He scored a goal and provided an assist for Darwin Nunez.

Rio Ngumoha Represents England U-17s

Rio Ngumoha, who will turn 17 on Friday, represents England U-17s.

He began his international journey with England U-15s in February 2023. He scored two goals in one game before joining up with the U-16s. Under Neil Ryan, Ngumoha played nine games, scoring two goals.

He secured his promotion to the U-17s in October 2024. So far, he has played 12 games for the young English side, scoring two goals and providing four assists.

After his impressive performance against Newcastle United, it will not be surprising if Thomas Tuchel calls him up to the senior team sooner rather than later.

Ngumoha Is the Fourth-Youngest Goalscorer in Premier League History

Scoring the winning goal against 10-man Newcastle United in the 10th minute of injury time, Rio Ngumoha has become the youngest Liverpool scorer in Premier League history. He has surpassed Michael Owen, who got his first goal for the Reds at the age of 17 years and 143 days against Wimbledon.

Ngumoha is also the fourth-youngest player to score in the history of the Premier League. He came close to ousting Wayne Rooney, who scored his first English top-flight goal — for Everton against Arsenal — at the age of 16 years and 360 days.

Youngest Goalscorers in Premier League History

Liverpool, return to Premier League action with a mouth-watering clash against Arsenal on Sunday, August 31. It will be interesting to see if Ngumoha gets another shot to impress against the Gunners.