Liverpool’s best striker Ekitike proving Isak was a luxury signing as Salah returns vs Brighton | OneFootball

Mohamed Salah’s return will dominate the headlines, but the most important thing for Liverpool was beating Brighton, which they did thanks to the only striker they needed to sign in the summer: Hugo Ekitike.

Salah was certainly out of line with his comments after the Reds’ 3-3 draw against Leeds United, effectively throwing the club under the bus by claiming that he himself had been “thrown under the bus” and that he has “no relationship” with head coach Arne Slot.

He was rightly omitted from the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League win over Inter, and much of the week, even after a huge result against a strong opponent, was spent debating whether he would be included against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Kop’s Egyptian King told his family to attend this weekend’s match before being an unused substitute against Leeds, and there they were, in attendance for what could potentially have been his final Liverpool appearance, as he returned to the matchday squad as a substitute.

The focus then shifted to whether Slot would snub him for the full 90 minutes. That wasn’t the case, and Salah’s introduction came far sooner than expected after Joe Gomez was forced off injured in the 26th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai moved to right-back, and Salah took up his familiar role on the right wing, looking to make an impact and show he isn’t finished.

He looked sharper than he has for much of the season, putting the team ahead of his own interests by passing up a couple of shooting opportunities and contributing an assist from a corner in the second half.

Salah did just fine, and he will continue to hog the headlines. But now that is out of the way, it’s time to focus on Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton and on the fact the Reds broke the British transfer record for the sake of it.

Hugo Ekitike found the back of the net in emphatic fashion after just 46 seconds – the fastest Premier League goal of the campaign – with Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen helpless as the ball flashed past him. It was an instinctive finish, but he had Gomez to thank for creating it with a brave header.

Liverpool played some tidy football in the first half but looked very suspect on the break and will feel fortunate they caught Brighton on a bad day. Their finishing really let them down. Diego Gomez was denied by Alisson from close range early on and then missed an open goal in the second half. It was a wasteful, frustrating performance. Brighton versus xG really is a battle for the ages.

After a flurry of missed chances from both sides, Ekitike eased Liverpool’s nerves with a thunderous back-post header from a tantalising Salah corner. It was a top striker’s performance and hammered home the point that Alexander Isak was a luxury signing – one Liverpool made to flex their muscles in both the Premier League and the transfer market.

Milos Kerkez was definitely a necessary signing. Hugo Ekitike was too. Marc Guehi was as well, but he never joined in a colossal blunder. Florian Wirtz may not have been the correct profile, as Liverpool have altered too much to accommodate him, but Slot was right to sign a creative midfielder. Jeremie Frimpong was probably the wrong profile again, but a right-back was always going to arrive.

Isak? At the time, it felt like a monstrous signing that would allow Liverpool to dominate every competition. Alas, he has been a disastrous addition, consistently outshone by Ekitike – the first striker Liverpool signed last summer, and the only striker they should have signed last summer.

Slot has prioritised Isak over Ekitike this season, shifting the latter to the left when the former was fit and available. Ekitike is more versatile than Isak, sure, but he started the campaign in form through the middle and was hard done by to be pushed wide and dropped to the bench, all so Isak could play and ultimately struggle for goals and any meaningful impact.

Ekitike has won Liverpool points on his own, something Isak hasn’t done. Slot should continue to play him through the middle, but it’s anyone’s guess what happens when Salah heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Cody Gakpo currently injured.

Although Isak has proven himself as one of the best strikers in the world elsewhere, it’s becoming clearer by the day that Liverpool should have spent that money elsewhere. They have been crying out for more depth in the wide attacking areas, at centre-back and at right-back all season, but at least Slot has had £125m and £69m strikers to choose between.

Ekitike’s two goals at Anfield lift Liverpool up to sixth in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal. Slot is finding more balance and defensive solidity, though Brighton’s poor final product certainly helped Alisson keep a clean sheet – his second of the week, as the Reds followed up a win to nil against Inter with another win to nil against Brighton.