Hugo Ekitike eviscerates Newcastle to show glimpse of Liverpool’s future | OneFootball

It was an illustration of why Newcastle wanted to sign Hugo Ekitike. But rather than congratulating themselves on their ability to spot a player, they were left rueing the one who got away. This was the eviscerating evidence of why they saw him as Alexander Isak’s replacement and why, at times this season, Liverpool have had a potent striker even when the £125m man has been injured or ineffective.

As Ekitike’s name rang around Anfield, Newcastle got an unwanted reminder of what had attracted them. Twice, really, given they first targeted him when he instead joined Paris Saint-Germain and then bid for him again before Liverpool pounced. “Ekitike is an outstanding player,” said Eddie Howe. He just wishes he could have shown it in a Newcastle shirt.

With a predictability that was nevertheless devastating, Ekitike condemned his former suitors to defeat. In a fixture that tends to deliver drama, he was the leading man. A two-minute brace earned Liverpool a first league victory of 2026. Even in the continued absence of Isak, condemned to the role of a spectator in an oversized club coat, it became a triumph of Liverpool’s recruitment. Milos Kerkez supplied the pass for Ekitike’s second. Florian Wirtz ended with an assist and a goal. His partnership with the striker is increasingly mouth-watering and the duo orchestrated a turnaround.

It means that Liverpool return to the top five. For all the vitriol directed online at Arne Slot, Liverpool have only lost once in their last 16 matches. They also addressed one criticism. They had only taken two points from losing positions in the Premier League all season. Three came in a night; in the space of a couple of minutes, really.

And via Ekitike. Liverpool and Newcastle spent the summer contesting the services of two strikers. For much of the last six months, Ekitike has looked the better of them. He has had to shoulder a heavy burden, with Isak’s impact so negligible, but he has done so admirably.

He has 15 goals this season, nine in his last 12 games. Liverpool’s future is taking shape as the new creative combination are fast developing a chemistry. Wirtz and Ekitike have a recent habit of teaming up for goals, usually with the German as the scorer. This time, the Frenchman got the goal, Ekitike finishing from Wirtz’s low cutback. Liverpool’s biggest summer buy, Isak, was left applauding from his seat behind the substitutes.

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Hugo Ekitike arrived in the box to poke home Liverpool's equaliser (Getty Images)

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Two minutes later Ekitike netted his second to send Liverpool ahead (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Ekitike’s second was brilliant, a change of pace fooling a dozing Malick Thiaw, a shot with the outside of his right boot catching Nick Pope out. “You’ve got to give Hugo Ekitike a lot of credit, especially the second goal,” said Howe. “I thought it was an unbelievable run and finish.” Slot added: “From the start, he is here, everyone can tell how special he is, how fast he is.”

Victory was secured by Wirtz’s wonderfully precise finish, bringing an assist for otherwise out-of-sorts Mohamed Salah. After a long wait to open his account, it was a sixth goal in 10 games for the £100m man and for Thiaw, who gave the ball away, another moment to forget. Newcastle continued making mistakes. “How we have conceded four is a mystery, but we didn’t defend well enough,” said Howe. Pope was at fault for the fourth, spilling Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner to allow Ibrahima Konate to prod in. His celebration was understandably emotional after the recent loss of his father. “I don’t have words to describe what I feel right now,” said the defender. Slot had planned to give Konate longer for compassionate leave, but the manager said: “When he saw the problems we had defensively he said he wanted to come back to help us.”

It was Konate’s first Premier League goal at Anfield and, for the first time since August, Liverpool struck four times in a top-flight game. Both the teamsheet and the scoresheet reflected the knock-on effect of Ekitike’s choices. Howe benched the two strikers he bought with the proceeds of Isak’s sale. His £125m double act, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, came on together after 73 minutes. The game was gone by then. Neither contributed much anyway.

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Anthony Gordon fired Newcastle into the lead (Reuters)

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An emotional Ibrahima Konate scored Liverpool's fourth on his return to the team following the death of his father (Reuters)

And yet Howe’s initial choice had been vindicated. He asked Anthony Gordon to lead the line, turning to a Liverpool fan and a player sent off against his boyhood club in August. This time, Gordon promised a different kind of explosive impact.

“We wanted to go with real pace against their back line and I think Anthony played really well,” Howe explained. A relentless figure roamed to considerable effect and Gordon drove in a low shot after he was inadvertently found by Alexis Mac Allister. It was the England international’s first Premier League goal in open play for over a year, a strange statistic considering how prolific he has been in the Champions League and a reason why Newcastle are still missing Isak’s goals. But Harvey Barnes had almost struck first, rattling the post after a well-worked free kick when Newcastle were in the ascendant. “We had a very tough first half-hour,” said Slot. By the end, though, Ekitike could rub salt into Newcastle wounds when he said: “Even though it wasn't the best opponent we have had because I would say it was a big win and easy win.”

And an annual win. Newcastle’s away form remains problematic and, with or without Isak, their trips to Anfield tend to be fruitless. They have not won here for three decades and 30 years of hurt were compounded by the knowledge it was Ekitike who extended their long wait.