Wayne Rooney analyses what made one Liverpool player’s moment so “fantastic” in derby | OneFootball

Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win over Everton, and it was Hugo Ekitike’s strike that drew particular praise from Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day.

The Frenchman, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, struck our second after being played through by Ryan Gravenberch.

It was a moment that caught the attention of the former England captain, who highlighted the clever movement and quality of the finish.

Rooney praises Ekitike’s intelligence and finish

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Breaking down the goal on BBC’s coverage, Rooney said: “The second goal here, I think, when you look at the back line of Everton, they never get up, they never get compact, they never get together, they never get on one line.

“And as Danny said, with Ekitike, he’s a good player, he’s really clever here, he can see that Vitalii Mykolenko is deeper, he knows he can stay in behind Michael Keane.

“And then Michael Keane can’t get back. James Tarkowski doesn’t cover quick enough, but just here, if you look at Tarkowski, I think if he goes with his left leg, he blocks the shot, he doesn’t, he shortens the stride and then goes with his right leg there.

“And then that allows Ekitike to get a shot off and it’s a fantastic finish.”

Fellow pundit Danny Murphy also weighed in on the same show, saying Ekitike: “did really well this afternoon.”

Ekitike continues to make his mark for Liverpool

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The £70m summer signing has wasted little time in announcing himself at Anfield.

His goal against Everton was his fourth of the season, and his ability to combine with his new teammates is giving Arne Slot more attacking options, before we even consider the record arrival of Alexander Isak.

Our head coach spoke about how impressed he’s been with the French forward, after the win against Everton, and we couldn’t ask for more at this stage.

So far this campaign, Ekitike has been directly involved in five goals in seven appearances, underlining the impact he is making in his debut season with the Reds.

Rather than bemoan the presence of Isak, our No.22 seems eager to be given the chance to play with the Swede and is welcoming the competition of another world class forward.

As supporters we can sit back and enjoy all our attacking riches and hope they keep providing Slot with a positive selection headache.

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