Newcastle and Liverpool produced a fiery encounter at St James’ Park on Monday night, with the Premier League champions snatching a dramatic 3-2 win through 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha’s stoppage-time strike.
The hosts dominated the opening half-hour, but against the run of play, Ryan Gravenberch put Liverpool ahead before tempers flared as Anthony Gordon was sent off for a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk shortly before half-time.
Liverpool capitalised almost immediately after the restart when Hugo Ekitike, who was once a Newcastle target before joining the Reds in a £69million move, doubled the lead just 20 seconds into the second half.
Despite being down to 10 men, Newcastle fought back with spirit. Captain Bruno Guimaraes reduced the deficit, and substitute Will Osula levelled the score to set up a thrilling finale.
However, any hope of a point for the home side was dashed deep into stoppage time when Ngumoha, the 16-year-old sensation, struck in the 100th minute to hand Liverpool a last-gasp victory.
Off the pitch, Alexander Isak’s absence once again dominated headlines, with the striker continuing to train alone after Newcastle rejected a £110million bid from Liverpool earlier this month. While Isak remained sidelined, his potential future employers Liverpool had the last laugh, leaving Tyneside with all three points in a pulsating contest.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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