Ekitike “has to score” as Ngumoha cameo sparks Liverpool debate: Bent

Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest was the kind of afternoon where the points mattered more than the performance, and Darren Bent’s post-match take summed up why the game felt like it could have swung on one moment before Alexis Mac Allister finally settled it deep into stoppage time.

Bent, speaking on Sky Sports (via Senvik on YouTube), had his focus on the sequence that briefly looked like it had decided the match, before VAR stepped in and forced us to do it again:

“Rio Ngumoha done really well. I mean, he changed the game as Jamie [Carragher] said when he came on and he just leaves [his cross] in a really nice area, but from there Ekitike, I know it’s slightly behind him. He has to score because the pace on the ball, it’s there.”

That passage matters because it speaks to the bigger theme of the afternoon, which was that our forward line did not get enough rhythm, and when the breakthrough chance arrived, it did not stick first time.

Bent then moved straight onto the controversy, with Mac Allister’s late “freak” finish being ruled out for handball, despite Liverpool’s No.10 not appearing to react to the ball as it deflected in.

“I think it’s harsh because yes, it does strike his arm, but he’s not looking at the ball. His arms are next to his body. I mean, by the letter of law, it should be disallowed, but I still feel it’s harsh.”

Bent backs Ngumoha impact as Ekitike moment stands out

The reason Ngumoha keeps coming up is because the 17-year-old England winger gave us something we had been missing for most of the match: directness, urgency, and a willingness to force a decision.

That is why Bent echoed the “changed the game” line, and it also links neatly with the wider post-match criticism, including Steve Nicol questioning whether Arne Slot’s Liverpool were mentally ready for kick-off, even allowing for Florian Wirtz being injured in the warm-up and the knock-on reshuffle.

Ekitike’s numbers at half time were analysed and it wasn’t until the teenage winger came onto the pitch, that he was allowed the chance to produce his first shot on target, highlighting how isolated the Frenchman was.

Ngumoha’s cameo did not magically fix everything, but it did change the feel of the contest, and it created the chance Bent is pointing to.

Ekitike’s Forest stats show a striker involved, but not decisive

It is fair to say Hugo Ekitike did not dominate the match, but the SofaScore numbers show a forward who was at least getting into the right areas late on.

Hugo Ekitike vs Nottingham Forest

That “big chances missed” line is the one Bent is leaning on, because the margins were tiny, and for long spells we looked like a side missing the extra attacking quality usually provided by Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Liverpool still found a way, Mac Allister still delivered the final touch, and we still left the City Ground with three points, but Bent’s verdict is a reminder that the match could easily have ended with the story being an Ekitike moment rather than a Mac Allister winner.

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