Teenager Ngumoha the hero for Liverpool in epic
Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored a 100th-minute winner on his Premier League debut as Liverpool beat 10-man Newcastle United 3-2 in an ill-tempered contest at St James' Park.
Ngumoha picked out the far corner after a clever dummy from Dominik Szoboszlai to silence a raucous crowd on Tyneside, where Liverpool seemed to have thrown two points away.
Amid continued speculation that Alexander Isak could leave Newcastle for the Premier League champion, the game was played out in a fiery atmosphere.
Anthony Gordon was sent off for a needless lunge on Virgil van Dijk in first-half stoppage time, after Ryan Gravenberch's long-range drive put Liverpool ahead in the 35th minute.
When Hugo Ekitike – a former Newcastle target – side-footed against the left post and just 20 seconds into the second half, the Reds were in cruise control.
However, Bruno Guimaraes' header halved the arrears in the 57th minute, and Liverpool was forced to defend a barrage of crosses as Newcastle continued to press forward.
The Magpies looked to have clinched a point in the 88th minute, as Dan Burn's flick on allowed substitute William Osula to peel off Ibrahima Konate and prod home.
After being introduced six minutes into stoppage time, Ngumoha was the hero, beating Pope with a confident finish after Szoboszlai let Mohamed Salah's pass run through to him.
While Liverpool joins Tottenham and Arsenal – its next opponent – on maximum points, Newcastle's wait for a win goes on.
It sits 15th in the table with a single point, ahead of what should be a busy end to the transfer window.
