Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha both scored late as Liverpool U18s produced a brilliant late comeback to beat Chelsea 3-2 and progress to the semi-finals of the U18 Premier League Cup.
Chelsea U18s 2-3 Liverpool U18s
U18 PL Cup, Cobham Training Centre
February 1, 2025
Goals: Kavuma-McQueen 27′, Antwi 58′; Nyoni 83′, Ngumoha 87′, Ayman 90+1′
It has become something of a grudge match when Liverpool meet Chelsea at academy level, and it seemed written in the playbook that Ngumoha, the subject of transfer controversy, would feature heavily in this weekend’s quarter-final outcome.
The Londoners reportedly banned Liverpool scouts from attending Chelsea games after the Reds took Ngumoha from them last summer.
With no under-21s match this weekend, coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson could field a strong side including the likes of Nyoni, Ngumoha and Amara Nallo, all of whom trained with the first team this week.
Nyoni and Nallo, of course, also featured against PSV in the Champions League, though the latter’s evening only lasted just four minutes due to being sent off four minutes into his debut.
Kornel Misciur, a highly-rated goalkeeper who is a regular for the under-21s, also featured at the Cobham Training Centre.
Despite Liverpool’s strong side, it was the hosts who took a 2-0 lead into the closing stages, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen netting in the first half before Genesis Antwi smashed home a rebound just before the hour mark.
NGUMOHA! pic.twitter.com/YbriirMNs7
— N. (@cnsultra) February 1, 2025
The Reds didn’t look too much like getting back into it either, with Chelsea controlling things.
That was until Nyoni got Liverpool’s first of the day in the 83rd minute, finishing after a nice run.
The visitors then struck again just four minutes later, Ngumoha coming back to haunt his former club after driving into the box, past two men and slotting past goalkeeper Hudson Sands.
With the scores level, Alvin Ayman became an unlikely hero in added time, sliding in at the back post to complete a fantastic comeback.
3-2 Liverpool. Ngumoha is insane man pic.twitter.com/g9YB69HQgl
— N. (@cnsultra) February 1, 2025
The winner capped a fantastic week for the 17-year-old who moved to Merseyside from Wolves for £1.5 million in the summer and signed his first professional contract just last week.
Having missed much of the season through injury, hopefully he can now kick on and show the form that led to him travelling to Man City with Wolves‘ first team last year.
Liverpool U18s: Misciur; Esdaille, Pinnington, Nallo, Ewing; Ayman (Onanuga 90+3′), Upton; Bradshaw (Ahmed 90+5′), Nyoni, Ngumoha; Sonni-Lambie
Subs not used: Hall, Enahoro-Marcus, Lonmeni
Next Match: Man United (H) – U18 Premier League – February 8, 11am (GMT)
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