It was the sort of substitution that may assume a symbolic status. Off went Mohamed Salah, on came Rio Ngumoha. And if it wasn’t quite as simple as that, given that Cody Gakpo departed at the same time and Federico Chiesa was also brought on against Nottingham Forest, or that Salah is a right winger and Ngumoha tends to ply his trade on the left, the temptation is to portray them as the past and the future respectively.
Ngumoha’s sparkling cameo was arguably his most significant appearance in the Premier League since his sensational debut in the division against Newcastle in August. It might have yielded an assist, or a part in the winner, but first Hugo Ekitike’s header from his cross was saved by Stefan Ortega and then, when the ball rebounded in off Alexis Mac Allister’s elbow, the goal was disallowed; the Argentinian’s eventual winner came still later.
Yet Ngumoha’s impact, his willingness to run at defenders, his dynamism, prompted calls for Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer to become a starter. So far, each of his Premier League appearances have come from the bench, though a capacity to make something happen can also equip him for the role of a super-sub.
“I know I need to at least do something and try and impact the game,” said the 17-year-old. “Whether that is on the ball or off the ball. So whether it is like trying to put in a tackle or press to win the ball back, put balls into the box, have shots on target or just beat my man.”
Which he did to give himself room to cross for Ekitike. It was the sort of ball Liverpool have provided too rarely this season; once again, Ngumoha seems capable of offering something different.
He has been confined to cameos, though; five months on from his 100th-minute winner at Newcastle, he is yet to start a Premier League game. Some may think Arne Slot is holding him back. The Liverpool head coach feels he is pushing him forward.
“He has incredible potential. Otherwise at 17 years of age you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” the Dutchman said. “I don’t think there’s any other 17 year old that has played so many minutes this season in the Premier League as he did. For him to show this already at 17 years says something about his talent.”
And, in Slot’s defence, when Ngumoha started against Barnsley in the FA Cup, he came off with cramp. Yet his total minutes in the Premier League is only 89; officially, anyway, because that excludes injury time, in which his finest moment lasted. But his outings have been brief; the earliest he has come on in the Premier League was the 70th minute.
There can be a temptation to rush such prodigies into the team. Slot has taken the patient approach and Ngumoha has few complaints. “I think it has gone really well,” he said. “I am learning a lot every day and playing with and training with some of the best players in the world. I can’t ask for much more as a young kid. So I just think I need to carry on proving, working hard in training and showing what I can do to the manager.”
Ngumoha believes he is benefiting from Slot’s input. “The manager is very important to me and he gives me a lot,” he said. “After training, he always gives me the right things. We always have a meeting and he tells me how well I am doing and he just shows me certain clips of training. I just need to keep pushing and keep gaining the manager’s trust and hopefully that leads to more minutes.”
Perhaps the brevity of some of Ngumoha’s appearances suggested Slot did not fully trust him; even with Liverpool shorter of wingers this season, with Luis Diaz sold, and with fewer forward options, with Alexander Isak invariably injured, the teenager and Federico Chiesa tend to be summoned late, charged with rescue acts. The Italian obliged early in the campaign, but they have had the feel of back-ups.
In other respects, they are an odd couple. But if there are long-term reasons to give Ngumoha more exposure to first-team football; but there can be a short-term imperative, too. That spectacular start, with the winner he swept in at St James’ Park, four days before his 17th birthday, was an extraordinary introduction to the team. Thereafter, Ngumoha became a fringe figure: he played 12 minutes in November, none in December.
Of late, however, Ngumoha has figured more and suggested he could be a catalyst if granted a bigger role. He had a goal wrongly disallowed in the FA Cup win at Brighton. He was arguably Liverpool’s brightest attacker at Forest. “Every single time I am called on for the team, I just want to show everyone what I can do,” he said. And with the glimpses of that, the Liverpool public want to see more.