In the dying minutes of the February 14, 2026, clash at Anfield, the 17-year-old academy star came off the bench and produced a moment of pure class. Receiving a precise lay-off from Cody Gakpo, Ngumoha took a touch, opened his body, and curled a sublime, dipping effort past Brighton keeper Jason Steele into the far corner. The Kop erupted in what should have been wild celebration for the teenager’s second senior goal (and first at Anfield) — only for the assistant referee’s flag to rise almost instantly, ruling it out for offside.
Replays from multiple angles, including those broadcast on TNT Sports and shared widely across social media, showed Ngumoha to be clearly onside — level or even fractionally ahead when the ball was played. Freeze-frames aligned perfectly with the pitch’s white lines and grass patterns confirmed the call was wrong. Without VAR available in the FA Cup’s early rounds (it only activates from the fifth round onward), the on-field decision stood, robbing the young winger of a dream milestone in front of a packed home crowd.
But the real bombshell? Sources close to the match officials and post-match analysis from pundits and fan breakdowns have revealed the primary reason for the error: a poorly positioned assistant referee who was caught out by the speed of the play and failed to track the run accurately. According to detailed frame-by-frame reviews circulating online (and echoed in reports from Tribuna.com and This Is Anfield), the linesman was slightly behind the play and misjudged Ngumoha’s position relative to the last Brighton defender. It wasn’t a marginal call gone wrong due to human error in a tight spot — it was a blatant misread from a suboptimal viewpoint, compounded by the absence of technology to correct it.
Graeme Souness, never one to mince words, doubled down on his earlier blast in a follow-up interview clip that’s gone viral. “It’s not even close on the replays — the lad’s on. This isn’t a ‘benefit of the doubt’ thing; it’s incompetence,” he fumed. “The assistant was out of position, plain and simple. In a game without VAR, you need officials who are switched on and in the right place. What message does this send to a 17-year-old who’s worked his socks off to get that chance? We’re robbing kids of moments that could shape their careers.”
Fans have been left furious, flooding X (formerly Twitter) with anger and memes. Posts from accounts like Empire of the Kop highlighted how VAR would “probably” have overturned it, while others shared side-by-side comparisons showing Ngumoha well on. One viral thread zoomed in on the exact moment the pass was made, with users declaring, “This is why we need VAR in EVERY round — no excuses.” Hashtags like #JusticeForRio, #RobbedAtAnfield, and #FAFixYourRefs are trending, with many supporters arguing the incident has “opened their eyes” to systemic issues in English football officiating.
For Ngumoha, the disappointment is palpable. The highly-rated forward, who has impressed in cameos this season, showed composure and skill far beyond his years with that finish. Arne Slot praised his impact post-match, but the disallowed strike has turned what could have been a feel-good story into one of frustration. “He deserved that goal,” one fan posted. “A moment like that for a kid at Anfield — and it’s snatched away for no good reason.”
Brighton escaped with a 3-0 defeat rather than a heavier humiliation, but the controversy has overshadowed Liverpool’s clinical performance: Curtis Jones’s opener, Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunner (assisted by Mohamed Salah), and Salah’s penalty sealed a comfortable progression to the fifth round.
The FA has yet to comment officially on the incident, but pressure is mounting for earlier implementation of VAR in the cup or at least better training and positioning for assistants in high-stakes ties. As one prominent Liverpool fan account put it: “This isn’t about the result — we won comfortably. It’s about fairness, especially for the next generation.”
Ngumoha’s moment was stolen, but his talent shone through regardless. The question now is whether football’s powers-that-be will finally address the “shocking standards” that continue to plague the beautiful game. Fans are watching — and raging