Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match Liverpool vs Monaco at Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom on 09 August 2026 (Photo by Jorge Horsted/News Images)
Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match Liverpool vs Monaco at Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom on 09 August 2026 (Photo by Jorge Horsted/News Images)
Rio Ngumoha has given Liverpool fans another reason to dream.
The 18-year-old tore Villarreal apart in a seven-goal thriller at Anfield, and the football world has taken notice.
Ngumoha completed nine dribbles and had more touches in the opposition penalty area than any other player on the pitch.
Operating on the right wing, the England international supplied two assists and gave the Villarreal defence a torrid time throughout.
Robbie Fowler, working as a pundit on Amazon Prime, said it “wasn’t a statement performance from Liverpool, but it was a statement performance from Ngumoha.”
The teenager picked up the official UEFA Player of the Match award, with Alexis Mac Allister also among the standout performers on the night.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola was equally glowing afterwards, pointing out that Ngumoha was continuing the form he had shown “a very good second half against Brentford” days earlier – proof, in his eyes, that this was no one-off.
That display has now earned the teenager a place on the shortlist for the Champions League Player of the Week award.
Ngumoha is up against Phil Foden (Manchester City), Nico Paz (Como) and Scott McTominay (Napoli) for the accolade, with the winner decided by a public vote on UEFA’s official channels.
Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield on Tuesday night, a result that kept their Champions League campaign unbeaten through three matchdays.
Virgil van Dijk’s error early on gifted Villarreal the lead, and the visitors were 2-0 up inside half an hour before the Reds turned the game on its head.
Alexis Mac Allister scored twice, either side of goals from Florian Wirtz and Ronald Araujo, to complete the comeback.
Van Dijk had no doubts about who deserved the headlines.
“He’s pretty electric at times and he showed it again,” the Liverpool captain said of Ngumoha. “He was a complete threat constantly and their defender had a tough time.”
Van Dijk also credited Ngumoha’s development alongside Mohamed Salah last season, adding there is “still much more to come” from the winger.
The Liverpool skipper was candid about his own display, calling it “a terrible start” and admitting it was “a bad day at the office personally,” but praised his side’s character in fighting back, the second time in four days Liverpool had come from behind to win, following their victory at Brentford at the weekend.
Ngumoha’s rise has been rapid since breaking into Arne Slot’s first team last season, when a stoppage-time winner at Newcastle made him Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer.
He has since won senior England recognition and a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination. His performance against Villarreal adds another milestone to an already eye-catching breakthrough campaign.
Voting for the Champions League Player of the Week award is open now on UEFA’s official website.
Who was the star this week? 🌟
🔗 https://t.co/kehbM05rgN
@PlayStationEU | #UCLPOTW https://t.co/1rVuzNiKRI
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 21, 2026
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.