Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored the winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time on his Premier League debut as Liverpool earned a thrilling 3-2 victory over 10-man Newcastle United.
Liverpool looked to be cruising towards back-to-back wins when they went two goals and a player up amid a fiery atmosphere at St James' Park, fuelled by their rumoured interest in Alexander Isak.
Ryan Gravenberch struck a 35th-minute opener before Anthony Gordon was sent off for a reckless lunge on Virgil van Dijk.
Hugo Ekitike – a former Newcastle transfer target – then put Liverpool 2-0 up early in the second half.
A Bruno Guimaraes header and a predatory 88th-minute finish from substitute William Osula looked to have secured an unlikely point for Newcastle, but they could not hold on.
Having been sent on by Arne Slot six minutes into stoppage time, Ngumoha was the hero, sweeping into the far corner at the death to keep Liverpool perfect. Newcastle are five points behind the champions with a single point on the board.
How the match unfolded
Liverpool struggled to match Newcastle's intensity early on, with Gordon missing two big chances around the half-hour mark, nodding Harvey Barnes' cross over and failing to slide Anthony Elanga's delivery home.
But Liverpool went ahead against the run of play when Gravenberch found the bottom-left corner from distance, and Newcastle's hopes suffered a further blow in first-half stoppage time.
Gordon caught Van Dijk's calf with a challenge from behind, and though Simon Hooper initially brandished a yellow card, that punishment was upgraded following a VAR review.
Liverpool then doubled their lead 20 seconds into the second half, with Ekitike stroking home via the left post.
However, Newcastle halved the deficit when Guimaraes nodded Tino Livramento's cross home in the 57th minute, and after forcing Liverpool to defend a barrage of crosses, Eddie Howe's side drew level when Dan Burn's flick-on teed up Osula.
However, 11 minutes of second-half stoppage time were signalled, and with 10 of those played, Dominik Szoboszlai dummied Mohamed Salah's cross for Ngumoha, who side-footed past Nick Pope to clinch a dramatic win.
Ngumoha's dream debut
Ngumoha, who turns 17 on Friday, earned rave reviews from Liverpool supporters as he scored two goals in pre-season.
His opportunities were expected to be limited after the Reds splashed out to acquire Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, but Slot clearly trusts in his abilities, sending him on for Cody Gakpo when Liverpool were chasing a winner, even after the Dutchman had supplied two assists.
Ngumoha took advantage of tiring Newcastle legs to ghost into the area, and when Szoboszlai let the ball run through to the teenager, he gave Pope no chance with a pinpoint finish.
He is now the fourth-youngest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League, with only James Vaughan, James Milner and Wayne Rooney netting in it at a younger age. He's the second 16-year-old after Rooney to score a winning goal in the competition.
While Ngumoha will steal the headlines, it was also a productive outing for Ekitike, who extended his scoring run to three matches in all competitions. The Frenchman's every touch was booed by the home supporters, but he coped admirably in a raucous atmosphere.
As was the case in their opening 4-2 win over AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool's defensive work left plenty to be desired, but even if a move for Isak does not materialise, they possess a fearsome level of firepower.
With title rivals Arsenal visiting Anfield on Sunday, Slot will hope for slightly less drama, with a similar result.
Red mist descends on Tyneside
St James' Park is often electric under the floodlights, and that was certainly the case on Monday as Newcastle played their first game since Isak posted on social media about his relationship with the club.
Further spice was added by the presence of Ekitike, who was reportedly targeted by Newcastle before he opted for a move to Anfield. Despite links with Yoane Wissa and Jorgen Strand Larsen, among others, the Magpies are still yet to sign a striker.
They clearly suffered for their lack of a natural frontman in the first half, with Gordon missing two good chances after being deployed as a makeshift striker.
And after Gordon saw red for scraping his studs down Van Dijk's calf with no realistic chance of winning possession, the hosts were always up against it.
Howe will nevertheless be delighted by the way his side dragged themselves level, with Osula staking a claim for the No 9 role when he peeled off Ibrahima Konate to score Newcastle's leveller.
But clinging on through 11 minutes of stoppage time when down to 10 men was always likely to prove a tough ask, and Newcastle were left with nothing to show for their Herculean second-half efforts.
They will also be without the suspended Gordon when they visit Leeds United on Saturday, and the intervening days are unlikely to be quiet ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday.
First half
As fiery as the atmosphere and intensity were, clear-cut opportunities were hard to come by during the opening 45 minutes.
Florian Wirtz's curler in the 13th minute, after Ekitike intercepted a slack pass out from the back, forced the first save from either goalkeeper.
At the other end, Anthony Elanga's cut-back near the right touchline caused panic inside the Liverpool box, but he could not connect with his teammate Joelinton.
Gordon headed onto the roof of the net off Harvey Barnes' cross and then stabbed straight at Alisson Becker from close range while under pressure from Szoboszlai.
Liverpool began to stem the attacks from the hosts with patient spells of possession and would take the lead during one of these encouraging periods.
Gravenberch needed no invitation to take aim at goal from distance when Cody Gakpo laid the ball off to him. The midfielder's low strike flew through the legs of Guimaraes and took a kiss off the post en route to the back of the net, leaving Nick Pope rooted to his spot.
Newcastle's hope of a recovery grew more difficult in added time with the dismissal of Gordon. His challenge on Virgil van Dijk was deemed to be serious foul play by the VAR, who recommended the overturning of the initial yellow-card decision.
Second half
The Reds flew out of the blocks and doubled their advantage 20 seconds after referee Simon Hooper blew his whistle.
Ekitike applied a lovely first-time finish, in off the post, from a Gakpo nudge just on the edge of the box.
But, in minute 57, we were back to where we began the second period when Guimaraes reached Tino Livramento's delivery from out wide and planted a header into the bottom corner.
Even with their one-man advantage, it was set up to be a tense finale for Liverpool.
Newcastle's pressure led to an equaliser two minutes before the end of the 90; a free-kick was punted upfield, flicked on by Dan Burn and then guided past Alisson by Osula, who had not been on the pitch long.
There were 11 minutes of added-on time that both teams used to search for a winner.
It was to go the visitors' way, however, when Szoboszlai skipped over Mohamed Salah's low cross, allowing Ngumoha to make history and seal a dramatic win.
