Liverpool snapped a Premier League win drought with a 2-0 victory over Fulham at Anfield, powered by a breakout performance from 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha. The teenager scored a sublime goal and set up Mohamed Salah’s strike, marking his second league start with a historic moment—becoming Liverpool’s youngest league scorer at Anfield at 17 years and 225 days, breaking Raheem Sterling’s 14-year record.
Arne Slot’s side entered the match under pressure after painful cup quarter-final defeats at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, with just one win in their last six games following Champions League away trips this season. Fulham, however, failed to test Liverpool’s fragility, offering a passive display that saw them limited in front of goal. The win marked Liverpool’s 1,500th league victory at Anfield, a milestone achieved with clinical finishing and renewed resolve.
“He has a special quality that you don’t see very often in football any more – dominating the one-on-one,” Slot said of Ngumoha. “That was a Mo Salah-finish. In training during the last month we saw he had more and more power to hit the ball like he did today. It was pleasing he did what we know makes him special.”
The match unfolded in a subdued atmosphere, with the Kop displaying no flags as part of protests against Liverpool’s decision to increase most ticket prices for the next three seasons by the rate of inflation. A banner reading ‘No to ticket prices increases’ was paraded in the 14th minute, accompanied by chants directed at the club’s owners. The flat environment mirrored the early contest until Ngumoha ignited the action.
Liverpool started sharper and more aggressive, with Jeremie Frimpong providing an early threat—his pass to Salah forced a save from Bernd Leno at the near post. The breakthrough came in the 35th minute when referee Anthony Taylor played advantage after Sander Berge wrestled Cody Gakpo to the ground. Florian Wirtz collected the loose ball and found Ngumoha on the left, where the winger dazzled Timothy Castagne with step-overs before curling a pristine finish around Joachim Andersen into the far corner.
Ngumoha’s goal not only enlivened a drab game but also sparked an immediate improvement in Liverpool’s attacking connection with Wirtz and Salah, offering Slot tactical options ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG. Slot removed both Wirtz and Ngumoha in the 68th minute, likely with that European fixture in mind. “I think he’s ready,” Slot said on Ngumoha starting against PSG. “The question is can he do it again two days later? But would he be able to perform at that level? Yes.”
Liverpool capitalized on momentum to double their lead just as Fulham were growing into the game. Ngumoha was instrumental again, taking on three Fulham players before clipping a pass to Gakpo, who laid it off for Salah to sweep a clinical finish inside Leno’s far corner. This strike from Salah, a player at the opposite end of his Anfield career, sealed the win.
Marco Silva made a double substitution at halftime, introducing Emile Smith Rowe and Sasa Lukic to inject aggression, but Fulham’s improvement was minimal. Gakpo missed a chance to extend Liverpool’s lead early in the second half, mishandling Frimpong’s immaculate cross. Smith Rowe also squandered an opportunity when found unmarked by Ryan Sessegnon, volleying wide of Giorgi Mamardashvili’s goal.
The only negative for Liverpool was a groin injury to Curtis Jones, forcing his halftime substitution and likely ruling him out of the PSG game. Silva summed up Fulham’s performance: “The game was decided in five minutes and by our approach in the first half. We were not aggressive enough on or off the ball and allowed Liverpool to build up their attacks too easily.”
With this win, Liverpool restored confidence ahead of their daunting European assignment, showcasing Ngumoha’s rising star in a stat-driven display that highlighted their first league victory since February.
