Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola may have some tough decisions to make with his team in the coming weeks, particularly surrounding Rio Ngumoha, after the teenager's starring role against Villarreal
Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool celebrates his team’s third goal scored by teammate Alexis Mac Allister during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Liverpool FC and Villarreal CF
Rio Ngumoha impressed for Liverpool once again(Image: (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Andoni Iraola may find it virtually impossible to drop Rio Ngumoha in the coming weeks after his display against Villarreal, with the Liverpool boss's challenge made all the tougher after comments from his teammate, Alexis Mac Allister.
It follows a standout performance from the 18-year-old, who was comfortably the best player on the pitch at Anfield, despite also being the youngest. While the Reds struggled through the early periods of the match, with Villarreal taking a quick two-goal lead, it was Ngumoha who was driving the home team forward with his pace and trickery, which kept the opposition defenders guessing.
The winger's efforts were rewarded when he helped setup Ronald Araujo's goal on the stroke of half-time, which levelled the game after Mac Allister's opener, while he picked up another assist for his troubles in the second half as Liverpool beat Villarreal 4-3 in a chaotic encounter.
It was no surprise to see Anfield give the youngster a standing ovation for his performance, the sort that should keep him in the team for the upcoming matches.
Iraola may have a bit of a headache as a result, as he may need to choose between picking the star on his form, against picking the right option for the opposition itself. That may only be made tougher after comments from Mac Allister after the game, which suggested that Ngumoha is undroppable.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, the midfielder said on his teammate: "It wasn't an easy game. Look around Rio [Ngumoha], he was amazing tonight. He made the difference. He was really important and I'm glad for him.
Rio Ngumoha (centre) is mobbed after setting up Alexis Mac Allister's second goal in Liverpool's thrilling Champions League victory over Villarreal at Anfield(Image: Nick Potts/the Press Association)
"It's clear the quality he has. Everyone knows. It's easy to say he's a really good player but he needs to focus on other things. He worked really hard off the ball.
"I would say 35 minutes into the first half, we made some changes. I dropped to the middle to keep more possession because we were not playing well. In the second half, we scored the goals, which is important.
"The idea was to play more on the right and open up more. We did it quite well but we were not dominating the game. After that, the manager changed and we did well."
It certainly suggested that Liverpool funneled the play through Ngumoha, which brings about the question of how he could be dropped for any game that is coming up?
That is something the manager will have to debate, if he wants to make such a change, as the upcoming meeting with Brighton sets up an interesting challenge for the Reds this weekend.
It remains to be seen which options Iraola will go with, now that Cody Gakpo is back, setting up a stronger forward line at his disposal. However, while there are plenty of star names worth millions in that frontline, it's the youngster Ngumoha who is shining.