Rio Ferdinand had one big takeaway from Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Fulham, and it’s the same one most fans will have after witnessing a performance of the highest quality.
Not from the team, necessarily. It was certainly far better from Liverpool, but by no means flawless. They looked to be running out of steam as the game went on. Luckily, Fulham couldn’t punish them.
The performance Ferdinand was referencing was that of his namesake, Rio Ngumoha, who opened the scoring for Liverpool and has as good a case as anyone for Player of the Match.
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Liverpool v Fulham - Premier League
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand hails ‘special’ Rio Ngumoha after starring vs Fulham
It was more history for the 17-year-old, becoming the third-youngest player to reach two goals in the Premier League after Wayne Rooney and James Milner. It was also his first goal at Anfield.
A special day for a special talent.
After the Liverpool winger opened the scoring with a beautiful curled strike, Ferdinand posted to X: “RIO. Love this kid! Special talent.”
It’s not often Ferdinand says something Liverpool fans can all get behind, but this is one such example. What we saw from the teenager today was a statement that he’s ready to be a real contributor at this level.
Special is the right word to use. It’s not normal for a player of his age to already be so devastating and such a handful for defenders ten years his senior.
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Salah will go in the summer, and Ngumoha has long-term aspirations at Liverpool that would ideally see him fill the Egyptian’s boots. No easy task, but that display — and especially that goal — looked very Salah to me.
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Rio Ngumoha celebrates after scoring for Liverpool during their Premier League match against Fulham at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/ANDY BUCHANAN /AFP).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Andy Buchanan/AFP
Ngumoha will be the hot topic in analysing this game, and Ferdinand’s won’t be the last plaudits he receives. It’s a transitional time at Anfield right now, but the future looks bright.
Jamie Redknapp hammers home how good Rio Ngumoha was
As well as Ferdinand, Jamie Redknapp was highly impressed with Ngumoha.
He was covering the game on Sky Sports, where he said: “I love this. A young player looking to break into the first-team, brilliant play. He hasn’t got a lot of an angle but manages to whip it round, so pleased for him.
“That’s what you need sometimes playing with no fear, I’m so happy for the kid. It looked like the game was going to get away from them but Rio grabbed it by the scruff of the neck.”
Despite all the senior experience in this Liverpool team today, it was Ngumoha who dug Liverpool out of a hole and alleviated some pressure off of his manager.
Top performance from a top talent.
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