Empire of the Kop
·31 January 2026
(Video) What Florian Wirtz did just before Ekitike equaliser was nothing short of majestic

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·31 January 2026

Two goals in two minutes from Hugo Ekitike ensured that Liverpool went into half-time with a 2-1 lead over Newcastle in a game which went from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye.
There was a familiar air of frustration around Anfield when, in the 36th minute, ex-Everton winger Anthony Gordon made the most of a fortunate break of the ball to finish beyond Alisson Becker.
However, the Reds went from 1-0 down on 41 minutes to 2-1 up on 43, with the Frenchman – who by his own admission came close to joining the Magpies last summer before choosing LFC – scoring on the double.
Ekitike’s first goal owed plenty to some majestic footwork from Florian Wirtz, who evaded the close attention of three Newcastle players before laying the ball across the edge of the six-yard box to his fellow summer signing.
The Liverpool striker duly latched onto the inch-perfect pass and dispatched the ball first-time past Nick Pope to equalise for the Reds, before then giving Arne Slot’s the lead just two minutes later with an outstanding finish as he bore down on goal.

Image via TNT Sports
After setting up Wirtz to score for three of the German’s first five goals for LFC, Ekitike joked in recent days that it was about time for the favour to be returned…and clearly our number 7 was listening!
It’s the seventh instance this season whereby the duo have combined for a goal, and the sixth since Christmas, a sure sign of their ever-increasing chemistry.
Both finishes from the Frenchman were masterful, and the skill from the Germany playmaker to set up the equaliser was simply too sublime for Newcastle to handle.
In the space of roughly 100 seconds, Ekitike ensured that a potentially toxic mood around Anfield going into half-time was instead a boisterious one as the first 45 minutes drew to a close.
He and Wirtz cost Liverpool the bones of £200m to sign last summer, but with each passing week, the duo are proving to be worth every penny of that investment!
You can view Ekitike’s equaliser against Newcastle below, via @footballontnt on X:









































