Arne Slot will have “real worries about his side’s defensive frailties”

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Liverpool weren’t convincing in their last-gasp 3-2 victory away to Newcastle, but it was impossible not to focus on an unforgettable winner from Rio Ngumoha.Arne Slot‘s champions just about kept up their 100 per cent on Monday night, blowing a 2-0 lead again but scoring through Ngumoha in the dying seconds.Here’s the best of the media reaction to Liverpool’s win. Liverpool “so, so lucky” – Slot has issues to fix David Lynch felt it was an “incredible” victory for Liverpool but accepted that they were “lucky” to win:“Just an incredible win for Liverpool given the noise around this game and how poor they were at times.“Yes, great spirit shown and what a finish by Rio Ngumoha, who is a genuine option this season, but also so, so lucky.“Arne Slot will know he has a lot of issues to fix.”The Telegraph‘s Jason Burt made a rather strange Alexander Isak analogy, but was right in saying the Magpies didn’t deserve to lose:“Liverpool, in the end, won. At the death. In the dying seconds, cruelly robbing Newcastle whose 10-men had mounted an extraordinary comeback.“How Newcastle will hope this is the only late, late victory Liverpool achieve over them this month as they desperately try and hold onto their striker Alexander Isak in the last week of the transfer window after such an acrimonious saga.“Newcastle will feel cheated and will feel like another crime is committed if Isak eventually goes.”Andy Jones of The Athletic thought Liverpool once again displayed their title-winning mentality:“Twice in two weeks, Liverpool have shown all the qualities of a title contender.“Snatching victory from the jaws of a draw… after looking set to drop two points despite leading by two goals and having a man advantage.”BBC Sport‘s Phil NcNulty was less impressed, saying there are flaws that Liverpool need to address:“Liverpool were not unsettled by quality football from Newcastle, but by the sheer intensity and force of will from Howe’ side.“From looking so calm and measured when winning the title last term, this season they have looked constantly vulnerable in defence, even with the presence of van Dijk. […]“Slot will take the victory, but he will have real worries about his side’s defensive frailties.” Liverpool say ‘No, we have Rio Ngumoha’On X, Lewis Steele explained how highly Liverpool think of the teenager:“A reminder that Liverpool have been linked with Rodrygo and Bradley Barcola recently. From credible sources as well.“The reply when we check the legitimacy of these stories is always ‘no, we have Rio Ngumoha.’“Tonight is just a little glimpse into why the club have that view.”James Pearce felt that Slot deserved praise for bringing on Ngumoha, on a night when some of his other substitutions were criticised:“Credit to Arne Slot too.“Not sure many managers give a 16-year-old his Premier League debut deep into stoppage time at 2-2 in that atmosphere against a team as combative as Newcastle.”Finally, Burt also had to focus on Liverpool’s gifted teenager:“This win belonged to Rio Ngumoha, the prodigiously talented 16-year-old who came on as a late substitute for Liverpool and scored in the 100th minute of yet another famous meeting between these two clubs.“He took his goal with astonishing calmness as Dominik Szoboszlai dummied a cross and the forward swept his shot around Nick Pope and into the net to become the youngest league scorer in Liverpool’s history.”