Andy Robertson. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)placeholder image
Andy Robertson. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rio Ngumoha was awarded man of the match in Liverpool’s FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Andy Robertson believes that Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha is reaping the rewards for his hard work.
The winger produced a dazzling performance in the Reds’ 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth round. Ngumoha was a constant threat during ghe Molineux encounter and earned the man-of-the-match award.
The 17-year-old has been with the first team throughout the 2025-26 season. He became the club’s youngster goalscorer aged 16 and 351 days when netting the winner in a 3-2 triumph at Newcastle United last August.
Fans have wanted to see more of Ngumoha, although head coach Arne Slot has been patient. Liverpool have high hopes for the England youth international but want to ensure that his body is brought along steadily to meet the demands of the Premier League.
But Ngumoha’s influence has grown in recent weeks, while 18-year-old Trey Nyoni came off the bench at Wolves - and both have been tipped for bright futures by Robertson.
The Liverpool vice-captain, who opened the scoring against Wolves, told LFCTV: “I thought [Ngumoha] was excellent. I thought it was his best game in a Liverpool shirt. I thought his decision-making was spot on. He made the right decisions when to pass, when to play, when to go to the byline. He did it all.
“Credit to him, he has been working so hard and been listening to all us lads, as well. I thought he was outstanding. I thought Trey, when he came on, was outstanding as well. These two are really important to the squad. They are only young but have been growing and growing so much as the season has been going on.
“We've been trying to help them as much as we can and they are going to be two important players for the club for many years to come. But they're going to be important for the rest of the season and you saw that.
“I just said to Rio before the game: 'I'll feed you the ball, it's up to you to make the right the decisions. If you do that, you'll have a hell of a game' and he managed to do that. He listened to be, thankfully, and his decision-making was really good and credit to him.”
Speaking to reporters after the Wolves win, which booked Liverpool’s spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Robertson added: "He's a great kid. He wants to listen and to learn. Him and Trey [Nyoni] have been with us every single day and they are both special players, but they are also special people in terms of wanting to learn and improve.”
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