‘Brilliant’- James Pearce and Stephen Warnock were wowed by ‘superb’ Liverpool wizard v Wolves

James Pearce and Stephen Warnock were in agreement with their observations on one Liverpool player in the first half of tonight’s FA Cup clash against Wolves.

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After widespread external clamour for Rio Ngumoha to be brought into the Reds’ starting XI, Arne Slot duly obliged by naming the 17-year-old in the XI to try and avenge Tuesday night’s Premier League defeat at Molineux.

Most of the opening 45 minutes was played in the home team’s half of the pitch, albeit without Sam Johnstone having to make any particularly eye-catching saves, but the teenager in the number 73 red shirt was the star turn of the first half in the Black Country.

Ngumoha praised for first-half performance

Approximately 20 minutes into the match, Pearce took to X with a succinct summary of: ‘Ngumoha brilliant so far’.

A few minutes later, after watching yet another marvellous dribble from the Liverpool winger, Warnock said on commentary for BBC One: “Superb feet and Rio Ngumoha was under such pressure from Wolves players. He danced around two or three players and offloaded it under pressure.”

Ngumoha the one bright spark for Liverpool in drab first half

The first half tonight wasn’t quite as mind-numbingly tedious as the one on Tuesday, but in truth the Red’s no.73 was the only player who threatened to lift this game above the mundane.

Paul Gorst joined Pearce and Warnock in hailing the 17-year-old, who he described as his team’s ‘brightest player’ in the opening 45 minutes, and his mazy dribbling has certainly been occupying the Wolves defence thus far.

It was indicative of his performance levels in relation to the rest of the team that he was the only LFC player to receive more than a 6 in the Liverpool Echo‘s half-time player ratings, being awarded 8/10 after an ‘excellent outing full of strong running and clever footwork’.

His all-action display has been putting far more experienced teammates to shame, and he must surely be doing his case for further starts the world of good with the effervescence he’s shown at Molineux in an otherwise drab FA Cup tie.

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