Reaction from Arne Slot as Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-2 at St James' Park
Arne Slot looks on prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park on August 25, 2025
(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Arne Slot says his Liverpool team were "lucky" to snatch a last-gasp victory at Newcastle United as the Premier League champions edged a wild game with a 100th-minute Rio Ngumoha winner.
After the Ryan Gravenberch had given the visitors the lead at a red-hot St James' Park, Anthony Gordon was given his marching orders by referee Simon Hooper for a poor challenge on captain Virgil van Dijk.
But after Hugo Ekitike had doubled the advantage early in the second half, the 10 men of Newcastle rallied and forced an equaliser through Will Osula after Bruno Guimaraes had halved the deficit.
With 11 minutes added on for second-half stoppage time, it was 16-year-old Ngumoha who scored the decisive goal just minutes after his introduction for a Premier League debut and Slot believes his team were the beneficiaries of some fortune on the night.
"We needed a goal but the best part of our game, was after we conceded the 2-2, it was also their best part," Slot said. "They got three or four corner kicks, 15 throw-ins, 112 free kicks! Not as many as that but it felt it, and the two of them were waiting (Ngumoha and Harvey Elliott) because I couldn't bring them in because it felt like we had to defend so many.
"Virgil, Ibou Konate and Alisson helped us at set pieces and then at last after four or five minutes, I could bring the both of them in. It was of course special for Rio to score a goal in a moment like this.
"We know what that feels like, last season at Newcastle, we conceded the 3-3 on 89 minutes. Now we were lucky ones, that's how it feels. We were lucky to get the win over the line."
Slot added: "How do you sum up a game like that? It felt familiar to me, I think I have experienced a game like this once before in England, at Everton away last season, where so many things happened it was complete chaos. The fans were so loud and there for the home team and our fans tried to help as much they could.
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere and for us to stay strong in that for such a long time is worth more to us than every time we have a 4-0 or 5-0 win. This means more to me than when we play good football.
"For me, this was nothing to do with tactics or good football, it was just a great game to watch, every single second of the game, everyone was on the edge of their seat.