Rio Ngumoha scored with his first Premier League shot deep into added time to win a sensational match for Liverpool just four days shy of his 17th birthday. Analyse the Opta data and look back at Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool with our stats page.
Teenager Rio Ngumoha hit a sensational 100th-minute winning goal for Liverpool to secure all three points against Newcastle United in an entertaining encounter at St James’ Park.
At just 16 years and 361 days old, Ngumoha became the fourth youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, winning the game on what was his competition debut, just four days before his 17th birthday.
Despite being 2-0 down and reduced to 10 men following Anthony Gordon’s first-half dismissal, Newcastle thought they’d staged a comeback against reigning champions Liverpool to secure a 2-2 draw, but Liverpool’s super-sub delivered a late winner to stun the home crowd.
Newcastle, after a summer of rumours linking star striker Alexander Isak to Anfield, came out looking to prove a point. By far the better team in the opening half hour, Eddie Howe’s side had Liverpool on the back foot and didn’t allow the reigning champions to get any kind of foothold.
It was Liverpool, however, that took the lead against the run of play from just their second shot of the game thanks to Dutch midfielder Gravenberch. His low strike from outside the area clipped off Fabian Schär’s outstretched leg and past Nick Pope to score just his second Premier League goal and his first since April 2024 against Fulham.
The goal also meant that Liverpool have now scored in 36 successive league matches, equalling the club record run of top-flight league games scored in alongside a 36-game run between March 2019 and February 2020.
The first half saw 19 fouls committed overall, a tally only beaten by four Premier League matches since the start of last season. The last of those produced a red card.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon put in a poor tackle on Virgil van Dijk which incensed his Liverpool teammates. Originally awarded a caution by referee Simon Hooper, a VAR review would upgrade it to a red card, and the Magpies were reduced to 10 men in a Premier League match for the first time in over a year.
It was the 17th red card in Premier League fixture between Newcastle and Liverpool – only Everton vs Liverpool (25) and Liverpool vs Man Utd (18) have seen more.
It didn’t take Liverpool long to make the most of their numerical advantage in the second half, as Hugo Ekitiké’s great strike came just 20 seconds after the restarts and before Arne Slot had made it back out into the away dugout. It was their earliest second-half goal (45:20) in a Premier League game since February 2013, Philippe Coutinho vs Swansea (45:16).
After scoring in the Community Shield versus Crystal Palace, Ekitiké has added goals against Bournemouth and Newcastle in the Premier League to become the 10th player to score in each of his first three appearances for Liverpool, and only the second to do so in the last 50 years, after Daniel Sturridge in January 2013.
Newcastle grabbed a deserved goal in the 57th minute via captain Bruno Guimarães. In the second phase following a long throw into the box, Tino Livramento sent a teasing cross in for the Brazilian to head past compatriot Allison after overpowering Milos Kerkez at the back post.
That goal ended a run of four successive league games and 49 shots without scoring when Isak has been missing from their side, a welcome reminder that there is life after the Swede should he eventually move on from the club as expected.
With Isak missing, substitute William Osula was the only recognised striker in Newcastle’s squad for the game, and he entered the pitch in the 76th minute as a substitute.
After scoring with his only previous shot on target in Premier League football in April versus Ipswich Town, he raced onto a long punt downfield to steal in ahead of Allison and poke the ball into the back of the net for an unlikely equaliser. Two shots on target, and two goals in the Premier League.
Liverpool hadn’t attempted a single shot after Ekitiké’s strike 20 seconds into the second half, and it looked like they’d do well to escape Newcastle with a point, but Ngumoha had other ideas.
A cross by Mohamed Salah was superbly dummied by Dominik Szoboszlai before Ngumoha scored with his first shot as a Premier League footballer to win the game for the Reds.
Ngumoha is the second 16-year-old to score a winning goal in a Premier League game, after Wayne Rooney in October 2002 for Everton versus Arsenal; he is one day younger (16 years, 361 days) than Rooney was that day.
Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool
Up next for Slot’s side is Arsenal at home on Sunday. Despite this late win, they’ll have to considerably raise their levels if they are to make an early statement in the 2025-26 title race.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Newcastle United vs Liverpool stats from their Premier League meeting at St James’ Park.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool: Post-Match Opta Facts
Rio Ngumoha’s winner made him Liverpool’s youngest-ever Premier League scorer at 16 years and 361 days old, while he is the fourth youngest scorer in the history of the competition, behind James Vaughan (16y 270d), James Milner (16y 356d) and Wayne Rooney (16y 360d).
Ngumoha is the second 16-year-old to score a winning goal in a Premier League game, after Wayne Rooney in October 2002 for Everton vs Arsenal; he is one day younger (16 years, 361 days) than Rooney was that day.
Liverpool have found the net in 98% of their Premier League matches under Arne Slot (39/40) – the highest percentage of games scored in by any manager with 15 or more games in the competition’s history.
At 99 minutes and 44 seconds, Ngumoha’s goal was the fourth latest Premier League winner on record and the latest since Cole Palmer for Chelsea against Manchester United in April 2024 (100:41).
Only against Manchester City (22 between 2006 and 2018) have Newcastle endured a longer winless run in league football than they have against Liverpool (18, also 18 against Man Utd between 2002 and 2011).
Liverpool equalled their longest run of consecutive top-flight games scored in (36 between March 2019 and February 2020).
Premier League Stats Opta
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