Liverpool head coach Arne Slot expects 16-year-old sensation Rio Ngumoha to "sleep well" after his historic FA Cup appearance in Saturday's 4-0 third-round win over Accrington Stanley.
The 2008-born attacker became the youngest-ever player to feature in an FA Cup contest for the Reds this weekend, taking to the field aged just 16 years and 135 days against the League Two outfit.
Ngumoha lasted 72 minutes as Slot's men secured a dominant victory over their hosts, who struck through Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa at Anfield.
The teenager's performance did not go unnoticed by Slot, who paid tribute to his display in his post-match press conference, saying: "I think he's been with us now for half a season. Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are.
"He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast. And I'm always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground as well, so the fans could see it.
"And I think the fans liked what they saw; you could feel this in the stadium in the first half already and when I took him out, [from] the reaction of the fans I think we could see they liked what they saw as well. So, special day for him – making your debut, win. He will sleep well tonight, I assume."
A statistical analysis of Ngumoha's performance against Accrington
© Imago
Ngumoha may not have directly contributed to a goal during his time on the field on Saturday, but he made quite the impression with the ball at his feet, completing three dribbles from seven attempts.
As per TNT Sports, no other player registered as many successful dribbles while Ngumoha was on the pitch, as the former Chelsea youngster repeatedly showed that he was not afraid to take on his man in an attempt to carry the ball into the box.
Ngumoha's effervescent attacking play also saw the teenager fashion two shooting chances, one of which was off target and the other blocked, but the latter attempt eventually led to Alexander-Arnold burying his long-range thunderbolt.
In total, the 16-year-old only had 30 touches of the ball on the left-hand side, but he completed 89% of his passes - misplacing two of his 18 attempts - while losing possession seven times and committing two fouls.
Needless to say, Ngumoha still has plenty to learn and will come up against much stiffer opposition as he grows older, but the 16-year-old gave the Kop every reason to stand and applaud after a highly promising debut performance.
Liverpool will learn their opponents for the fourth round of the FA Cup during Sunday's draw, and Slot's side now turn their focus to Tuesday's Premier League clash away to high-flying Nottingham Forest, who are just two places and six points below the Reds in the top-flight table.
Ben Knapton
