Isak question answered after what Ekitike did for Liverpool v Athletic Club
Liverpool beat Athletic Club twice on Monday, with the second game ending 3-2.
After the earlier clash between the two sides had finished 4-1 to the Reds, Mohamed Salah got the scoring underway at Anfield in the second game on 4 August, but the Egyptian’s opener was quickly cancelled out by Oihan Sancet.
Remarkably, Cody Gakpo would go on to score the next three goals, with the second unfortunately ending up in the wrong net.
Salah could have had his second and Liverpool’s fourth when Wataru Endo was brought down inside the box, but the winger fired over from 12 yards.
Ekitike puts a narrative to bed v Athletic Club
Much of the discussion surrounding Liverpool’s potential move for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been about the Swede’s position in the team alongside Hugo Ekitike.
Fans have questioned whether both strikers would be played together, or if Arne Slot would be forced to rotate his two new frontmen.
But Ekitike’s performance against Athletic Club worked to answer a lot of those questions.
The Frenchman was deployed through the middle but often drifted to the left, allowing Gakpo and Salah to drive through the centre.
Liverpool’s first goal came as a result of exactly that, with Ekitike opting to make a run in between the right back and his inside defender.
Once on the ball, the striker beat his man with a deceiving step-over before delivering a driven pass to Salah, who finished well.
And once Ekitike found some joy on the left, he stayed there, beating two defenders just one minute after the restart and earning a free-kick just outside the box.
The striker could have had a goal before his departure in the second half, but Gakpo was there to pinch the rebound off his toes.
Isak and Ekitike would perform fluid roles
Isak can often be spotted in similar positions for Newcastle, often making driving runs inside the channel to cut back onto his favoured right foot.
If the Swede does arrive, Liverpool fans can, of course, expect some level of jostling for position between the two star strikers, such is their quality.
But they should also be ready, and excited, to see the two deployed fluidly across the front line, with both more than capable of finding space in wider areas to supply for one another.
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