Sturridge demands more Ngumoha minutes

Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest was about survival for long spells, but Daniel Sturridge still came away talking about one moment that changed the mood.

Liverpool’s former No.15 used X to praise Rio Ngumoha after the 17-year-old winger injected urgency into a game that had been flat for far too long.

The England youth international came on in the 77th minute for Mo Salah, who had struggled to influence the game, and Ngumoha immediately played as if he had been waiting weeks for the chance.

Sturridge did not overcomplicate what he saw: “Every time I watch Rio Ngumoha, he looks electric. Direct, fearless, always trying to affect the game. He deserves more minutes. Simple as that”

That opinion also lined up with Arne Slot’s post-match comments after the late Alexis Mac Allister winner, because our head coach pointed to Ngumoha’s impact as a key reason we finally created something decisive.

“The first goal was because of him. A great cross on the head of Hugo Ekitike, which you would expect to be a goal. It was a good one v one which is what this game needed.

“He already plays a big part for a 17-year-old. It tells you how a big of talent he is.”

Rio Ngumoha vs Forest impact

It is rare to see a 13-minute cameo carry real weight in a Premier League away win, but that was exactly what happened at the City Ground.

Ngumoha only had 11 touches, yet he completed two successful dribbles, delivered a perfect cross, and created a big chance, with his expected assists number doing the loudest talking (via Sofascore).

What Ngumoha gave us that we lacked

This match had been disjointed from the warm-up onwards, with Florian Wirtz injured late, Curtis Jones drafted in, and Liverpool shuffling roles mid-game just to find some control.

Forest were sharper in the first half, we could not keep the ball, and even the second half drifted until the closing stretch.

Alexis Mac Allister shared his disgust with the performance and had it not been for the win, the mood would have been very different.

That is why Ngumoha mattered, because the teenager played with the sort of direct intention that forces a defensive line to react rather than wait.

Liverpool ended up winning in chaos, but the spark that made chaos possible came from a fearless 17-year-old who played like the moment belonged to him.