Liverpool pulled off an impressive turnaround to defeat Villarreal 4-2 at Anfield on Matchday 3 of the Champions League this week, and one star in particular stood out to former Reds boss Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez called Rio Ngumoha "ruthless" following his man of the match display in Liverpool's Champions League victory over Villarreal on Tuesday, as the Reds came from behind to win 4-2 at Anfield.

A brace from Alexis Mac Allister and a second goal in a week from summer signing Ronald Araujo saw the Reds overcome a two-goal first-half deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the 65th minute, before Florian Wirtz got himself on the scoresheet just a couple of minutes later to give the hosts some breathing space.

Villarreal pulled one back three minutes from time to set up a nervy ending for Liverpool, but Andoni Iraola's side held out to make it three wins from three in the Champions League and put themselves on a three-game winning run ahead of this weekend's visit from Premier League high-flyers Brighton.

While it was largely Mac Allister who grabbed the headlines thanks to his brace in Tuesday's victory, Ngumoha also got his fair share of plaudits, despite not getting himself on the scoresheet, as he registered two assists.

The 18-year-old once again started from the off for the Reds after being chosen to start at right wing by Iraola, and he certainly made it count as he caused countless problems for the Villarreal defense all night.

For his first assist, Ngumoha beat three defenders on the flank and floated a precise cross to the far post for Araujo to head in the equalizer, before dancing past Villarreal left-back Sergi Cardona and holding off Juan Foyth to flash a low cross into the box for Mac Allister's second goal of the night to give Liverpool the lead.

It proved to be a record-breaking performance for the former Chelsea academy product, as, at 18 years and 52 days old, he not only became the youngest player in Liverpool's history to register an assist in European competition, but he also became the third-youngest player ever to register two assists in a single Champions League match.

By the time he was subbed off in the 74th minute for Bradley Barcola, Ngumoha received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd, and it wasn't just those packed inside the stadium who made their feelings clear on his performance after the game.

Speaking on Amazon Prime post-match, former Liverpool manager Benitez said that Ngumoha was "ruthless" and "cunning" in his movement, leading him to believe that he could make the right-wing position his own.

"I saw [Rio Ngumoha] before, and to be fair today he was much better [tonight]. The last game that I saw him, he wasn't passing players so easily. Today, he was ruthless, he was cunning, and he was passing players," Benitez said.

"You talk about his position on the left side and the right side. I think on the right side, he can pass players wide, and if you go wide, you cannot cover, so he can make crosses, he can make passes. Maybe he'll score fewer goals, but I think he can make a difference."

With his two assists, Ngumoha recorded his first goal contributions of the season, and he will now be looking to use Tuesday's game as a springboard for the remainder of the season as he looks to hold down a regular starting spot under Iraola this season.

With Cody Gakpo and Barcola already competing for the left-wing spot, Ngumoha may have to turn his attention to the opposite flank if he wants to remain a regular in the team, and on Tuesday's showing against Villarreal, he proved he is more than capable of performing just as well on the right.