Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike close in on OUSTANDING record set by Liverpool legends | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have an incredible connection at Liverpool

When Alexander Isak was ruled out for most of the season, many fans, pundits and journalists thought that there would be no way that Liverpool would be able to get anything from the 2025-26 season.

Isak was one of Richard Hughes' marquee signings and, although others such as Ekitike and Wirtz were brought in, Isak was expected to have the most impact on the Reds' starting XI.

And now, over the last few weeks, both Wirtz and Ekitike have taken matters into their own hands and seem to have cemented their place in Slot's starting XI alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.

Wednesday's game was another chance for the duo to put their relationship on display and that's exactly what they did.

Wirtz scored Liverpool's second goal of the game and although it was a team effort, Ekitike was the one to get the final touch before the young German put the ball into the back of the net.

And, thanks to that assist, the former Bundesliga players have assisted one another five times each across all competitions.

This statistic may not seem all that exciting but, as per an update from Opta journalist Michael Reid, it's the most from an under-23 duo since Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard in the 2003-04 season.

"Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have now assisted each other 5 times in all competitions this season," he wrote via his personal X account.

"The most by two players aged 23 and younger for Liverpool since Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard in 2002-03 (6)."

Florian Wirtz is finally showing his true self at Liverpool

Although Ekitike has arguably been Liverpool's best signing this season, it took some time for Wirtz to meet expectations.

The German was the Reds' second-most expensive summer transfer and up until the end of December, most fans were questioning why Hughes had invested so much money into him.

However, the last month or show has proven that Wirtz is one of Liverpool's best players with his creativity regularly shining through.

Although the Premier League is out of the equation due to the Reds' inconsistency, as long as Wirtz continues putting in impressive performances during their Champions League games then the Anfield outfit could be in with a real chance of winning the trophy.