Virgil van Dijk makes feelings clear on Rio Nguomha after Newcastle heroics…

Virgil van Dijk expresses his thoughts on Rio Ngumoha following the heroics against Newcastle.

Rio Ngumoha netted the winning goal for Liverpool in their match against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, earning praise from Virgil van Dijk for the young player, who made his debut in the Premier League.

Van Dijk referred to Ngumoha’s game-changing performance against Newcastle as a “dream debut” after the 16-year-old scored a crucial goal in the 100th minute at St. James’ Park.

Liverpool appeared to be on the verge of dropping two points after relinquishing a two-goal advantage in the North East.

When the fourth official indicated 11 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the regular 90 minutes, it seemed Newcastle, despite being reduced to 10 men due to Anthony Gordon’s red card in the first half, was more likely to secure a victory.

However, Ngumoha, at just 16 years old and making his first top-flight appearance, took only four minutes to score after being brought on in the 96th minute.

“It’s a dream debut for him,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “The entire attack was impressive. Harvey initiated it, and the dummy from Szoboszlai was perfectly executed.

“We maintained our composure towards the end and sought the right solution. I’m very happy for Rio. He must continue to work hard and remain humble, but he should relish this moment as it’s not something to take for granted.

I’m confident that with our squad, he’ll be back in training tomorrow for a tough session.”

Van Dijk was part of one of the match’s key incidents, receiving a harsh challenge from Gordon, which led to the Newcastle player being sent off in the closing moments of the first half after a VAR review.

“I told him that if that’s not a sending off, then I don’t understand football,” Van Dijk said when asked about his comments to Gordon after the challenge. “It was odd that the referee needed to check the monitor.

Unfortunately, such incidents occur. Whether it was intentional or not, it happened, and that’s that. We move forward.

In response to the challenge presented by Newcastle that evening, Van Dijk stated: “We understand that it’s a tough venue to visit.

What transpired tonight was anticipated. The frustrating aspect was that we allowed two set pieces to get past us.

“They possess the quality; if you examine the traditional top six from last year, only a few were able to overcome them.

It’s consistently a challenging place to play. I appreciate these environments. I was eager for this match, but we could have simplified things for ourselves.”