Arne Slot starts 16-year-old record-breaker for Liverpool FA Cup tie | OneFootball

Arne Slot's inclusion of Rio Ngumoha in Liverpool's starting XI for their 4-0 third-round FA Cup victory over Accrington Stanley on Saturday lunchtime was a history-making decision.

At the tender age of 16 years and 135 days, Ngumoha was given the chance to become the youngest player to ever appear for Liverpool in the FA Cup. Considering that the historic English footballing giant have competed in the world's oldest football competition since the year of their formation in 1892, Ngumoha's feat is remarkable.

The fleet-footed forward is not the youngest player to ever turn out in a competitive fixture for the Reds - that honour belongs to Jerome Sinclair, who came on for the final nine minutes of a League Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion in 2012 just six days after turning 16.

Sinclair only went on to make four more appearances for Liverpool's senior team and had retired from professional football before his 25th birthday.

Ngumoha is expected to enjoy a far more impressive career. Formerly a product of Chelsea's revered academy system, Liverpool reportedly had to break their wage structure to lure the talented teen to Merseyside in September.

The England youth international has already made five appearances in the prestigious UEFA Youth League, racking up two assists in a youthful iteration of the Champions League which is usually the home of 18-year-olds.

Rather than look at Sinclair's worrisome precedent, Ngumoha may take comfort from the identity of the third-youngest Liverpool player ever - his teammate, Harvey Elliott. While the impish forward hasn't quite kicked on as many may have expected - which is largely a consequence of injury issues - the 21-year-old still has a bright future ahead of him. Although, it may not be with Liverpool.

Liverpool's No.73 caught the eye / Jan Kruger/GettyImages

It would have been understandable if Ngumoha had been overawed in front of the Anfield faithful on his first bow in a red shirt. But there were no signs of nerves from the teenager whatsoever, who immediately darted at Accrington right-back Donald Love.

Ngumoha's persistence and trickery was eye-catching during an immensely encouraging first-half outing. Lightning quick feet and bravery in possession often saw Liverpool supporters perched on the edge of their seats, with few debutants capable of captivating 60,000 fans at such a young age.

The second half was quieter for Ngumoha. Federico Chiesa's entrance at half-time saw the majority of Liverpool's attacks forged down the right-hand side, with the academy product seeing less of the ball than he had during the early proceedings. Still, he was a livewire when in possession.

Substituted in the 72nd minute for goalscorer Jayden Danns, Ngumoha finished the match having completed more successful dribbles (3) than any other player on the pitch, as well as registering two shots and five touches in the Accrington penalty area. Only three Liverpool players boasted a higher expected assists tally than his 0.14 come the full-time whistle.

What did Arne Slot say about Rio Ngumoha?

Arne Slot's faith was rewarded / Jan Kruger/GettyImages

Slot's brave decision to include Ngumoha in the starting XI was rewarded and the Dutchman was full of praise for Liverpool's summer recruit come the end of the match.

"I think he’s been with us now for half a season. Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are. He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast," said Slot.

"And I’m always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground as well, so the fans could see it. And I think the fans liked what they saw; you could feel this in the stadium in the first half already and when I took him out, [from] the reaction of the fans I think we could see they liked what they saw as well.

"So, special day for him – making your debut, win. He will sleep well tonight, I assume."