Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot found some relief as his team secured their first league victory in six weeks, thanks to a goal from a seasoned legend and another from a rising star aiming for greatness.
Mohamed Salah netted his 256th goal for Liverpool, as Anfield fans cherished the remaining moments of this remarkable journey with the beloved “Egyptian King.” This match marked his first home appearance since announcing his impending departure.
Just four minutes earlier, 17-year-old prodigy Rio Ngumoha scored a goal reminiscent of Salah’s brilliance. He skillfully outmaneuvered his defender and delivered a stunning shot into the far corner of the net.
The combination of this youthful spark and veteran expertise, introduced as part of five lineup changes following a disappointing performance in Paris, brought renewed optimism to fans as the Premier League season progresses.
“For me, Liverpool is the biggest club in the world,” Ngumoha expressed. “Starting at such a young age with the manager and players believing in me is incredible. I just need to keep working hard. Scoring that goal was truly special.”
It was Ngumoha’s second strike for the club after a 100th-minute winner at Newcastle in August as he repaid the faith from boss Arne Slot in what was a rare league start
Mohamed Salah scored goal number 256 in a Reds shirt, as Anfield savoured every last moment left in this glorious marriage between the fanbase and the Kop idol
Teammate Andy Robertson praised Ngumoha, saying, “He’s unbelievable. It just goes to show, sometimes you shouldn’t listen to the experienced players. I was yelling at him to let him know I was coming on the overlap!”
‘He’s got a big future ahead of him, but here and now is pretty good as well.’
The 32-year-old left back announced earlier this week he would depart the club at the end of the season after a trophy-laden nine years since joining from Hull.
‘I knew my song would get sung a couple of times,’ he said. ‘This club means everything to me. It’s a fact. I’ve been here nine years. I was a boy at one time. Now I’ve become a man here.’
This victory came after a run of three straight defeats that has seen the side dumped out of the FA Cup and all but knocked out of Europe to boot, barring a minor miracle in the Champions League second leg against Paris Saint-Germain this coming Tuesday.
How vital these three points were, then, for Liverpool’s under-fire boss Slot, who feels support from the hierarchy amid question marks over his future but knows anything but Champions League qualification would represent an abject failure of a campaign.
The three points took them four clear of Chelsea, who play Manchester City on Sunday, and extended the gap on those further back with neighbours Everton sharing a point each with fellow top-half disruptors Brentford.
Fulham will leave with regret, having failed to ask any serious questions of a team lacking confidence and defensive steel in recent weeks. Marco Silva’s men had eyes on sneaking into a European spot – like half of the league – but this was a major setback for those hopes.
And while it was far from perfect from Liverpool, it was a step in the right direction. Finally, they have found some efficiency in front of goal after so often wasting chances. Slot, much maligned in recent weeks, made changes after a torrid week – and they paid off.
Ngumoha opened the scoring on 36 minutes after a spell when Fulham were starting to grow in confidence at a quiet Anfield, where fans were protesting ticket price rises with a ‘no pound in the ground’ campaign to not spend money at any on-site food and drink kiosks.
The 17-year-old was fed by Florian Wirtz and experienced defender Timothy Castagne did not know whether he was coming or going.
Ngumoha strikes fear into defenders and perhaps deserves more game-time. Maybe he will after this outing, his most complete afternoon in the senior team. He curled his shot past Bernd Leno to score.
Then, on 40 minutes, he was again shimmying his way past Fulham’s defenders and fed Salah, helped along by Cody Gakpo, and the Egyptian bent one into the far corner.
That was his first league goal at Anfield since November 1, a whopping 161 days ago. Noting that, fans no longer take him for granted as there are not too many special Salah moments left now, with a maximum of seven more games for the club barring a European comeback.
Liverpool spent £450million last summer largely on attacking talent and will need to dig into the money well again this summer to replace Salah. Regardless of who they sign, they also have a special talent getting better and better in young Ngumoha.
