16-year-old Rio Ngumoha nets dramatic late winner for Liverpool against Newcastle

The game was in its 100th minute when Rio Ngumoha won a breathless game for Liverpool. 

Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha doesn't turn 17 until later this week. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.

Premier League: Newcastle 2 Liverpool 3

JUST when it looked like Newcastle had salvaged an unlikely draw in the Alexander Isak derby it was a next generation Liverpool striker who took centre stage to steal it for Arne Slot's side.

A breathless contest was into its 100th minute when 16-year-old substitute Rio Ngumoha swept home Mo Salah's pass for a dramatic winner to provide a suitably bonkers finale to a game that almost defies description.

Eddie Howe's side had to play the second half a man down after Isak's understudy Anthony Gordon earned the third red card of his Magpies career for a brainless lunge near halfway that resulted in his blades leaving discernible tram lines down the right calf and Achilles of Virgil van Dijk.

Referee Simon Hooper swiftly upgraded his initial yellow after being invited to review his decision.

Already a goal to the good through the unlikely source of Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool added a second through Hugo Ekitike so early in the second half, Slot had yet to re-take his seat in the visitors' dugout.

To their immense credit, Newcastle's 10 men dug deep and pulled a goal back through skipper Bruno Guimaraes soon after to halt a run of four matches where they have failed to score without the services of Liverpool-target Isak to call upon.

When it appeared they might have justifiably run out of steam in their efforts to salvage a point, Will Osula, a raw 22-year-old forward signed last year from Sheffield United who is yet to make a Premier League start, nipped in to put the ball past Alisson after Dan Burn flicked Nick Pope's free-kick into the Liverpool area.

Three minutes plus a raft of added time remained, during which Newcastle, implausibly, came close to a winner until Ngumoha's dramatic late intervention.

Newcastle still remain without a league win over these opponents for almost a decade but considering the way they fought back from two goals down having lost Bruno Tonali, Joelinton and Fabian Schar to injury during a bruising encounter, their display was nothing short of astonishing.

Featuring nine of the players who started the Carabao Cup final victory over the Premier League Champions in March, Newcastle made a predictably ferocious start to a half which contained an unwanted sting in the tail for the hosts thanks to a first goal for Gravenberch in 16 months.

Liverpool's clearly players quickly showed their displeasure with Hooper after allowing some rather industrial challenges from Joelinton and Kieran Trippier to go unpunished, before in contrast Gravenberch, on his return from suspension, and Ibrahima Konate received first-offence cautions.

Pope was forced to push away an early curling Florian Wirtz effort from inside the area after Schar surrendered possession, but it was a rare threat from the visitors.

Joelinton, arriving purposefully at the near post, was narrowly unable to apply a decisive touch to Anthony Elanga's cutback after the midfielder was released into the box by a searching Trippier pass.

Gordon wasted two presentable chances to break the deadlock, heading a Harvey Barnes cross onto the roof of the net, before being denied a close-range tap in by a fine block from stand-in right-back Dominik Szoboszlai. A goal appeared imminent, but not in front of the Gallowgate End, where it duly arrived in front of disbelieving home fans 10 minutes before the break.

Taking an innocuous square pass from Cody Gakpo on the edge of the area, Gravenberch had time to weigh-up his options, before dispatching a low shot through the legs of Guimaraes that took the slightest deflection off Schar on its way into the bottom corner off the inside of the post past a leaden-footed Pope.

There remained time for matters to take an even more grave turn for the hosts in first-half stoppage-time.

Gordon, who missed the Wembley cup final through suspension, failed to make it to the interval after needlessly leaving his mark on the Liverpool skipper. It was a ridiculous challenge which home supporters saw fit to applaud as the witless Scouser made his way for an early bath having just condemned his side to defeat.

It certainly looked that way when Liverpool added a 20 seconds after the re-start. Ekitike, another striker Newcastle attempted to sign this summer, calmly doubled the advantage by rounding off a move he started in his own half, stabbing the ball past Pope off the inside of the post from 18 yards with Gakpo again the line of supply.

Guimaraes gave the depleted hosts fleeting hope 10 minutes later, comfortably out-muscling Milos Kerkez at a Tino Livrameno cross to head beyond Alisson at the far post as Eddie Howe's side enjoyed their best spell of the contest despite the numerical disadvantage.

They were rewarded for their endeavour by Osula's predatory strike and amazingly looked the more likely to score the contest's fifth goal until the final dramatic twist.

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope 6; Trippier 6 (Hall 76, 6), Schar 6 (Thiaw 81, 6), Burn 8, Livramento 8; Guimaraes 9, Tonali 6 (Miley 66, 7), Joelinton 6 (Ramsey 76, 6); Elanga 6, Gordon 0, Barnes 5 (Osula 76, 8). Sent off: Gordon. Booked: Burn, Guimaraes.

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Alisson 6; Szoboszlai 6, Konate 3, van Dijk 6, Kerkez 3; Jones 4 (Ngumoha 90, 8), Gravenberch 7; Salah 3, Wirtz 4 (Bradley 80, 5), Gakpo 8 (Elliott 90, 5); Etikite 8 (Chiesa 80, 5). Booked: Gravenberch, Konate, Bradley.

Referee: Simon Hooper