Rio Ferdinand labels Ngumoha ‘special talent’ after breaking Liverpool record against Fulham

Rio Ferdinand labels Ngumoha ‘special talent’ after breaking Liverpool record against Fulham

Teenager Rio Ngumoha delivered a superb performance in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Fulham at Anfield on Saturday.

Ngumoha opened the scoring with a beautiful strike, slotting past the outstretched Bernd Leno.

At 17 years and 225 days, he is now the youngest player to score a league goal at Anfield, surpassing Raheem Sterling’s record set in 2012 against Reading.

Ngumoha was also involved in the second goal, clipping a delightful pass into Cody Gakpo, who set up Mohamed Salah for the finish.

His performance impressed former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who shared his thoughts about the teenager on his social media account.

Ngumoha first etched his name in Liverpool’s history books after scoring in the 3-2 victory at Newcastle United in August, becoming the club’s youngest goalscorer in the Premier League.

Ngumoha should start against Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool face PSG in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield on Tuesday, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit.

The Reds failed to register a shot on target in the first leg, with manager Arne Slot adopting a defensive set-up.

They are expected to adopt a more attacking approach in the second leg, giving Slot the chance to field more attacking players.

Slot should start Ngumoha to reduce Achraf Hakimi’s attacking influence, with the right-back registering the most assists (five) for PSG the competition.

With Ngumoha’s pace and trickery, Hakimi could be forced to stay in his defensive area more than he did in the first leg.

The English forward also gives Liverpool more offensive options, in contrast to their last encounter at PSG, when Hugo Ekitike was isolated up front.

Slot needs to show more trust in Ngumoha, and Tuesday’s meeting with the Parisians offers another opportunity to do that.