On August 25, 2025, Liverpool came away from St James’ Park with a nail-biting 3-2 win over Newcastle United. That fierce contest had more than 50,000 home supporters on the edge of their seats. After the hotly contested battle heated up when Newcastle saw a man sent off in the first 45. This highly debatable VAR non-call stoked the flames of this already heated rivalry.
The opener scored by Ryan Gravenberch was a pivotal moment that helped to determine the direction the match would take. Just minutes later, Hugo Ekitike doubled the lead to 2-0 for the visitors, Liverpool caving in the defense and yielding a second opportunity. Things swung wildly in favour of the home side when Anthony Gordon saw red for a stamp on Lisandro Martinez. A mandatory VAR check upheld that his studs had raked down the Achilles of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. That was the momentum-changing moment, but Newcastle battled back impressively.
Even though Newcastle was still a man down, Bruno Guimaraes pulled a goal back for the hosts from close range, making it 3-2. In the 36th minute, William Osula struck again for Newcastle to make things 2-2. That goal ignited a wave of optimism and hope for a series comeback among the home crowd. The evening’s hero was 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha. Almost instantly, everyone got to know him after he scored a dramatic winner for Liverpool in his very first match in the 100th minute.
The young striker scored a terrifically determined winner that took all three points for Liverpool. Fortunately, this defining moment turned out to be a historic milestone in his burgeoning career. Liverpool FC Women manager Arne Slot commended his side’s toughness. He particularly praised Ngumoha’s exceptional round talent and poise under pressure.
Virgil van Dijk praised the creativity of Ngumoha, along with the overall fight their entire squad showed in securing gritted four points.
“I’m really really pleased for Rio. He has to keep working hard, to stay humble, and I’m sure he will do that.” – Virgil van Dijk
Despite the loss, Newcastle’s Guimaraes remained positive about his team’s performance. He accepted the limitations the team had to contend with. He pondered how youthful exuberance can result in raggedness on the field of play.
“I think he wanted to help too much. I think, sometimes, you are so excited to play, you make some mistakes.” – Bruno Guimaraes
Guimaraes recognized the outside forces weighing on the squad. Perhaps most pointedly, he tackled the growing rumour-mill conjecture about star striker Alexander Isak’s future at Newcastle.
“It’s happened to me. We always try to give our best. There is a lot of noise outside that we cannot control.” – Bruno Guimaraes
Liverpool’s win gives them a firm grip on the Premier League. It highlights the amazing life-changing talents of outstanding young players like Ngumoha. The encounter was a re-affirmation of the two sides’ resilience and will to win.
Van Dijk urged everyone to look beyond the fierce competition and concentrate on the positives.
“I enjoy this type of atmosphere, but we could have made it easier. But we’ve got the three points, and we move on. There were many good things today.” – Virgil van Dijk
