(Video) How Hugo Ekitike reacted to hearing his name chanted around Anfield at full-time | OneFootball

Hugo Ekitike will have very fond memories of his first Merseyside derby!

The French forward was restored to the Liverpool starting XI for the game against Everton and repaid Arne Slot’s faith by scoring what eventually proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory just before the half-hour mark.

It took the 23-year-old to four goals in his first seven games for the Reds and re-established him as the champions’ leading scorer in the early weeks of the season, with Mo Salah having drawn level with him in midweek.

Ekitike gave a wonderfully humble post-match interview to TNT Sports as he welcomed the competition with Alexander Isak for a starting berth, and that wasn’t the only notable activity fromt he Frenchman after the final whistle.

Ekitike revels in post-match chant at Anfield

As the Anfield faithful revelled in yet another Merseyside derby (Liverpool’s fifth in a row at home), the chant celebrating our number 22 boomed out around the stadium, and it’s fair to say that he absolutely loved it.

Footage captured from the Kop and posted on The Redmen TV’s X profile shows the France international repeatedly pumping his arms in the air in appreciation of the fans’ serenading, and not just momentarily, either – he continued for a good few seconds as he soaked up the acclaim!

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Ekitike is already a true fans’ favourite at Anfield!

Thanks to the stellar work of the Liverpool recruitment team over the past decade in particular, we’ve been blessed to have so many quality footballers and infectious characters representing the Reds.

Ekitike already looks as though he ticks both boxes, with the 23-year-old producing the goods on the pitch and also endearing himself to Kopites immediately with his personality.

Stephen Warnock proclaimed during the first half this afternoon that the striker has been ‘so impressive’, and that description could certainly be applied to the neat finish which beat Jordan Pickford and doubled our lead before Idrissa Gueye later pulled a goal back for Everton.

The Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle was also (figuratively) singing the Frenchman’s praises as he gave a ‘stirring demonstration of his own wares’ in an ‘aggressive’ performance in which he also demonstrated ‘an air of calm composure’.

Slot now has the best kind of headache possible – trying to choose between Ekitike and Isak as his starting striker for our forthcoming fixtures!