RIO NGUMOHA delivered a brilliant performance to save Liverpool from a Champions League humiliation.

While his senior team-mates were mostly hopeless, 18-year-old Ngumoha was unplayable as he helped his team recover from two goals down.

But here was still a reminder that Liverpool are nowhere near where they need to be under Andoni Iraola.

Iraola has still only lost once in 11 matches – and that was the 3-0 home loss to Manchester City – but he watched in disbelief as his Liverpool team delivered a shocking and embarrassing first 30 minutes when they conceded twice and it could have been worse.

Villarreal’s merry band of 680 fans could not believe what they were seeing as the team led with goals from Georges Mikautadze and left-back Sergi Cardona.

But while the rest of his team were all over the place, teenage terror Ngumoha grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He was absolutely outstanding.

He created the leveller for Ronald Araujo and the third for Alexis Mac Allister, who had earlier pulled the score back to 2-1.

With the Anfield crowd chanting ‘Rio, Rio’ sub Florian Wirtz made it 4-2 for his first goal since April. Yet Liverpool were still given a late warning with Tani Oluwaseyi pulling one back.

With one eye on Sunday’s difficult home game with Brighton, Iraola delivered an educated gamble by delivering some rotation. He made six changes from Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brentford and started the £364million trio of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz on the bench.

So playing Ngumoha along with fellow youngsters Trey Nyoni and Lewis Kounas was a risk but it was the rest of the Liverpool team who were so bad.

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Villarreal, managed by Iraola’s former No2 Inigo Perez, are 12th in LaLiga and definitely nothing special but they embarrassed Liverpool for the opening spell.

Virgil van Dijk is not having a great season and there are many Reds fans who have become increasingly concerned with the 35-year-old’s form and the basic errors he keeps making.

Van Dijk started the game badly and made a couple of silly mistakes even before his disastrous attempted header back towards Alisson after a long punt from Renato Vega.

Mikautadze, Villarreal’s record signing at £25million, took a lovely first touch and swivelled to squeeze a shot past Alisson from a tight angle.

Struggling Van Dijk was then unable to block a pass from Nathan Saliba’s pass towards Cardona who was helpfully being played onside by Kostas Tsimikas.

Left-back Cardona had never before scored a Champions league goal but you would not have known that by the way he casually side-footed a shot past a bewildered-looking Alisson.

At least Tsimikas redeemed himself by delivering the corner which led to Mac Allister’s glancing header,  a rare occasion that a home player won a challenge.

That lifted the mood and in the final kick of the half, incredibly, Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, sneaked in at the far post to score with a header after Cardona made the mistake of not clearing a terrific cross by Ngumoha.

The 18-year-old continued to terrorise the Spaniards and delivered more magic when he provided the chance for Mac Allister to score with a shot via the underside of the bar. Best of all, Ngumoha could have gone down for a penalty and kept his feet.

Cody Gakpo set up Wirtz for 4-2 to fire into the corner with his left foot.

Hero of the night, Ngumoha, received a standing ovation when substituted, although Liverpool ended the game as badly as they started it.

Sub Oluwaseyi scored with a decent finish but there was no late Liverpool disaster and they still have a 100 per cent Champions League record.