Liverpool: Arne Slot explains what makes Rio Ngumoha so special after last-minute winner | OneFootball

The 16-year-old made a perfect start to his Premier League career

Arne Slot said the quality of Rio Ngumoha’s finishing is what sets him apart after he hit a stunning late winner against Newcastle on Monday night.

It took just one chance for the 16-year-old to find the back of the net, as Dominik Szoboszlai dummied Mohamed Salah’s cross to leave Ngumoha in space. He made no mistake, ensuring al three points came back to Anfield. Speaking at full-time, Slot said the winger was far more technical than other players his age.

“I did hear someone afterwards in the dressing room, I won’t say who, said they would have taken that ball, have a first touch, then finish it off. But he is so confident.

“That’s what I like, because the first ball he got he wasn’t afraid. He immediately took someone on. When the second player came, he got across him, and for him to score that goal is not completely a coincidence because for his age he is an amazing finisher.”

He continued, saying it was a risk to bring Ngumoha on in the first place. He stands just 5ft7in tall, and would not have been particularly effective at defending the set pieces on which ten-man Newcastle relied.

Slot went on: “The thing I like most about our players is after 2-2, we had to defend five set-pieces. I don’t know how many.

“That wasn’t a moment for me to bring in Rio [Ngumoha] and Harvey [Elliott] because both of them are not so tall, but I did feel because it was to bring two players in that can do something special in a moment, and then it is nice that he scores a goal.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk concurred, describing Ngumoha’s 100th-minute finish as ‘perfect’.

He said: "It is a dream debut for him. It was a perfect technique. We stayed calm towards the end as well, tried to find the right solution in order to score a goal, and we did it. I'm very pleased for Rio."