Liverpool starlet Rio Ngumoha was the talk of the town again after his performance against Wolves with both Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer lauding him.
Ngumoha once again showed what he is all about as he caused countless problems for Wolves as the Reds won 3-1 at Molineux.
With Liverpool into the next round of the FA Cup, Ngumoha might see more minutes and according to Murphy and Shearer, Arne Slot has food for thought.
Liverpool fans…sum up Rio Nguhoma’s performance at Wolves in THREE words
Rio Ngumoha after Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer praise Rio Ngumoha after Liverpool beat Wolves
There’s a reason Liverpool fans are so excited by Ngumoha at the moment and this performance showed.
He is still a young man and while former Reds midfielder Murphy recognised that, he insists Arne Slot will be impressed.
“Rio Ngumoha plays with freedom and positivity, and he is impactful. The reality is, at 17, I do understand why he is used off the bench,” Murphy commented for BBC Sport.
“In a big game against a resolute Wolves side to be the main man, the one who is kind of trying to make things happen. The chief instigator of all Liverpool’s big moves, he didn’t seem fazed by it. He has given the manager a little headache.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Adding more weight to the conundrum faced by Slot, former England skipper Alan Shearer labelled Ngumoha as the best player on the pitch.
“Rio Ngumoha has pace, he had energy and he had the ability to go past players. Certainly in the first half, he was the best player on the park for Liverpool,” Shearer added.
Rio Ngumoha’s performance v Wolves in numbers
There’s a serious buzz about this young man and rightly so. For years, Liverpool have spoken about their search for a replacement for Mo Salah but really, it might have been in their academy all along.
Ngumoha was seriously impressive against Wolves and despite not scoring a goal, he did produce the goods.
He created three big chances, completed 86% of his passes and managed a team high seven touches in the opposition box.
So, how do you think that 90 minutes went out of 10?
Arne Slot prior to Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round
Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
His dribbling is obviously his standout skill and he completed four out of six on this occasion, wowing fans with his pace and trickery in wide areas.
While the season has been disappointing in the main for Liverpool, Ngumoha is a shining light and we certainly expect to see more of him between now and the end of the campaign.
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