Rio Ngumoha injected energy into the game when he came on as a substitute against Nottingham Forest and provided the assist for Liverpool's first goal
Rio Ngumoha
Rio Ngumoha has received praise for his performance against Nottingham Forest (Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
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Sam Allardyce has urged Arne Slot to start turning to Rio Ngumoha earlier in matches after the teenager's latest eye‑catching cameo in Liverpool's 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest last weekend. Introduced in the 77th minute at the City Ground, Ngumoha immediately shifted the momentum in Liverpool's favour.
His direct running sparked the move that led to Alexis Mac Allister's first goal, which was later ruled out by VAR. Mac Allister eventually did score the winner, but it was the 17‑year‑old who received the praise, from Jamie Carragher and Slot himself, for the impact he made off the bench.
"He gets stronger and stronger," Slot said at the time. "Apart from his moment when he had his one-v-one, there were also one or two other moments where he stands his ground.
"That is what you need because you face 25, 26, 27, 28-year-old athletes mainly as your opponents because we are a bit of an exception in terms of our age group of players. Most teams have players of different ages and physicality."
Rio Ngumoha
Ngumoha in action against Nottingham Forest(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Despite Slot's comments, there has been calls for the Dutch boss to hand Ngumoha more minutes going forward.
"It's great to be able to come on as a sub," Allardyce said.
"You can have him [Rio Ngumoha] on from the start when everybody is up and at it and fresh, but if you bring him on with 20 minutes to go when the level and tempo is going down and there's that bit more space, then he can flourish.
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"I would leave Ngumoha on the bench for the moment, but Slot can bring him on sooner now. It's easier to build his confidence that way than to put him in from the start, which may not work.
"That said, the starters who aren’t playing very well will be looking over their shoulder, knowing they’ve got to raise their game or else he'll take their place."
Carragher also argued that Ngumoha deserves a run in Slot's line-up, given what he brings to a forward line currently lacking pace and unpredictability.
"Ngumoha did more in 15 minutes than Salah and Gakpo did before that. He changed the game and needs to be starting games," Carragher said on Sky Sports after the Forest game.
"I think at some stage, Rio Ngumoha has got to come into the team, or he may have to go with another midfield player or lose a Gakpo or a Salah. I think Liverpool's penetration and pace in the wide areas is really lacking."
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