YOUNGEST SCORERS IN ENGLAND

• Aug 27, 2025
• History Statistics

Youngest scorers in England’s top flight

Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha (picture) became the first player in 20 years to score in a Premier League match before turning 17, and the 4th in the competition’s history (since 1992) to do so, after Wayne Rooney, James Milner and James Vaughan who all achieved this feat between 2002 and 2005.
Ngumoha, at his debut in EPL, came off the bench and scored in the 10th added minute a winner for Liverpool on 25 August against Newcastle (3-2). Actually he did it with his first ever shot.

*He is the second 16-year-old player to score a winning goal in a Premier League game, after Wayne Rooney on 19 October 2002 for Everton vs Arsenal, being one day older (16 years 361 days) than Rooney was that day. 

*He became Liverpool's youngest ever goal-scorer. Michael Owen (17 years 143 days) was Liverpool’s youngest ever debutant scorer in league competition before him.

*Ngumoha’s goal, timed by 99 minutes 44 seconds, is the third-latest winning goal scored in Premier League history, behind only:
Cole Palmer (Chelsea), vs Manchester United on 4 April 2024), at 100 minutes 41 seconds, 
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham), vs Sheffield United on 16 September 2023, at 99 minutes 53 seconds.  

*Since 1992, five Premier League goals have been scored by players under the age of 17 (Milner has 2 such goals, notched in 2 different games).

*In the entire history of English top flight, since 1888, there are now 11 players that scored before turning 17 (see the table). Ngumoha takes just 11th in this ranking.
The record belongs to Jason Dozzell who scored in 1984 for Ipswich at 16 years 57 days.
(Curiously, his son Andre also scored in 2016 at his Ipswich debut aged 16 – though he did it not at the top level but in Championship what was the 2nd tier of the English football system).