‘Come on’ – Liverpool journalist makes plea to Arne Slot after what he watched at the City Ground
Alexis Mac Allister grabbed the headlines for his match-winning goal for Liverpool on Sunday, but another name on the lips of many Reds supporters after the game was Rio Ngumoha.
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The 17-year-old was brought on with just under 15 minutes of normal time remaining as Arne Slot’s side struggled to find a breakthrough against Nottingham Forest, with Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah withdrawn simultaneously after failing to make any real impact.
The teenage substitute caught the eye during his cameo off the bench and initiated the move which led to the Argentine midfielder’s controversially disallowed goal, bamboozling the hosts’ defence with some clever footwork and delivering a pinpoint cross to Hugo Ekitike, whose header was kept out by Stefan Ortega before the ball was then struck against the elbow of our number 10.
Lewis Steele: Ngumoha ‘needs to play more’
Although that passage of play ultimately counted for nothing, Ngumoha’s fearlessness against much more established opponents rightly earned him plenty of praise afterwards, and Lewis Steele believes it’s time for the winger to play more often despite his youth.
The Liverpool-focused journalist posted on X yesterday: ‘It won’t be in the history books given the goal didn’t stand and it was not a direct assist anyway but Rio Ngumoha made that moment. Just 76 Premier League minutes before today. I understand the need to go careful with him as a young lad but, come on, he needs to play more.’
How soon until Ngumoha gets first top-flight start for Liverpool?
Steele’s pleas for the 17-year-old to be handed more game-time will have been echoed by many LFC supporters, just as they were by Daniel Sturridge, who said that the forward ‘deserves more minutes’ after his ‘electric’ and ‘fearless’ outing at the City Ground.
Jamie Carragher opined that Ngumoha ‘changed the game’ after he came on against Forest (Sky Sports), while BBC pundit Pat Nevin claimed that the youngster ‘had a bigger impact than Salah’ despite having far less time on the pitch than the Egyptian.
We can totally understand why Slot is cautious about exposing a literal child to the physical rigours of Premier League football, especially in an age where players are subjected to unforgiving scrutiny which can sadly cross the line into sickening abuse.
However, every single time we’ve watched Ngumoha play, he seems to relish taking on opponents who are far more established and goes about his game with a freedom and a confidence which is so refreshing to witness, especially in matches like yesterday where Liverpool’s attack had been so sterile.
As John Aldridge stated in recent weeks, the 17-year-old brings an unpredictability to the Reds’ forward line which torments opposition defences, and his eye-catching display on Sunday may well accelerate the clamour for him to be given a first top-flight start.
Will Slot have seen enough at the City Ground to truly unleash this exceptional young talent, or will it continue to be a case of ‘handle with care’ for the rest of the season?
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