Liverpool needed to show up against Aston Villa, but produced another performance that felt flat, lacking conviction and painfully predictable.
A 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season was damaging enough in relation to the standings, but the manner of it was the real issue. This was Liverpool at their worst again, slow in possession, easy to contain and far too passive in the final third.
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins punished them, while Virgil van Dijk’s goals were not enough to influence the tie. The one player trying to force the issue was also the youngest player on the pitch. Rio Ngumoha looked like the only Liverpool attacker with any real intent.
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Rio Ngumoha put senior Liverpool players to shame vs Aston Villa
This was not the first time Ngumoha has looked like Liverpool’s most dangerous player this season.
He scored a dramatic winner against Newcastle on his Premier League debut, coming off the bench to seal a 3-2 win at St James’ Park in the 100th minute.
He then backed that up against Fulham, scoring his first Anfield goal in a 2-0 win that gave Liverpool’s top-five hopes a well-needed lift. On that day, he was sharp, fearless and far more decisive than players with far more senior experience.
That is why the push from supporters for him to get more minutes has been so strong. It is not just excitement over potential. It’s because he keeps doing things that Liverpool’s senior players are not doing often enough.
Ngumoha showed it again at Villa Park. Liverpool were dealing with a lot of injuries and Slot had to patch the side together, with four midfielders starting and only Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo named as recognised forwards.
Gakpo had a very mediocre evening. He struggled to stay onside, failed to offer enough threat and looked like a player waiting for the game to come to him.
The midfield did not help either. Liverpool had bodies in central areas, but not enough runners, not enough forward passing and nowhere near enough urgency to push Villa backwards.
Ngumoha was different. He was the one Liverpool player willing to take on his man, commit defenders and actually make Villa uncomfortable. His curled effort forced a strong save, and his wide play had the quality and urgency Liverpool were crying out for all night.
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It should not be like that. Senior Liverpool players should not be leaving it to a 17-year-old to chase a win at a key point in the season.
There is a positive, of course. Ngumoha looks every bit as good as we hoped, and Liverpool have every reason to be excited about him.
But this was also a damning indictment of the established players in Slot’s side. On a night when Liverpool needed men to stand up, the teenager was the only one who really did.
- READ MORE: Arne Slot has managed Rio Ngumoha’s Liverpool breakthrough perfectly, whatever the boo-boys say
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