Ian Doyle with the main talking point from Liverpool's Champions League clash against Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday evening

Alexis Mac Allister had just capped a rousing Liverpool comeback by smashing home from close range in front of the Kop midway through the second half. But as the Reds players celebrated, it wasn’t the Argentina international’s name which instantly began booming around a jubilant Anfield.

Instead, the strains of “Rio, Rio” were heard around the stadium after teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha had once again jinked his way into the affections of the home crowd and helped dig Andoni Iraola’s side out of a Champions League hole.

Having being found on the right wing by a searching pass from Mac Allister, Ngumoha then set about doing what he did for much of his 74-minute outing - running the Villarreal defence ragged.

He thrust his way past one player into the penalty area before evading two others and reaching the byline from where his cutback was practically begging Mac Allister to provide the finishing touch.

It was much the same story at the end of the first half when Ngumoha this time recycled possession from a partially cleared corner, kept the ball neatly on the edge of the area and fashioned enough space to dig out a cross that invited Ronald Araujo to head home at the far post.

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If those were the obvious highlights of the 18-year-old's display - remarkably, before this game he had only one assist in his senior career- they were representative of his superb performance throughout an evening when he continually took the game to the visitors.

Indeed, as Liverpool lost their way massively during an alarming opening half-hour in which they fell two goals behind, Ngumoha was the one shining light in a reshaped attack that was misfiring horribly.

Remarkable to think this was only his third Champions League start, all coming in this season’s competition. And it built on both his impressive showing in LASK last week and cameo from the bench in the Premier League win at Brentford at the weekend. The pressure on the Reds to agree a new contract with the winger increases with every showing like this.

Mac Allister’s name was eventually chanted by the Kop, but even the midfielder would be happy to cede centre stage to Ngumoha, who was given a standing ovation on his substitution.

And as the full-time whistle sounded, the Anfield PA system was soon blaring out Duran Duran’s 1980s hit Rio. This was an evening where Liverpool’s teenage sensation was very much on song.