Ekitike stars as 4/10 woeful – Liverpool player ratings vs Crystal Palace
Liverpool were denied their first silverware of the season against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The FA Cup winners came out on top over the Premier League champions at Wembley (10 August) in a tense encounter.
Arne Slot handed out four debuts in the contest, and Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong marked their opening match for the Reds with goals.
However, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr levelled proceedings twice, and penalties were needed to settle the clash with Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott missing.
Ekitike is the star on his competitive debut for Liverpool
Ekitike impressed on his Liverpool debut against Yokohama Marinos despite not getting on the scoresheet.
This time though, he notched the opening goal after just four minutes of play, leaving the commentators questioning whether the Anfield side even needs to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
It was a beautiful turn and finish from the edge of the box from Florian Wirtz’s perfectly-weighted pass.
He was a constant menace for the Palace defence and could have had a hat-trick if he had been more composed in other moments, but it was still a brilliant display.
- Ekitike had three shots, created a total of 0.55xG and recorded an 88 per cent pass accuracy in the clash
It was a really encouraging display from the Frenchman on his competitive bow for the champions, and he looks worth every penny of the £69million fee that Liverpool paid at the moment.
That point was further emphasised by the fact that Slot’s side lost all of their threat in attack once he left the field.
Gakpo fails to impress in Liverpool win
Cody Gakpo is the undisputed number one left-winger for the Reds after the departure of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich.
He had a stunning pre-season, notching four goals and one assist, but he struggled against the Eagles in his return to competitive action.
The Dutchman failed to register a single chance created or a shot on target in a quiet display, but was somehow not replaced by Rio Ngumoha.
- Gakpo had four touches in the opposition box but failed to make anything happen and was dispossessed four times in the contest
He also lost the ball in the build-up for the second Palace equaliser, as Sarr made the Reds pay for their failure to add a third.
If he continues in a similar vein in the opening weeks of the campaign, the former Chelsea starlet may take his place in the starting line-up.
How Liverpool stars rated vs Crystal Palace
Alisson – 6
Jeremie Frimpong – 6
Ibrahima Konate – 6
Virgil van Dijk – 5
Milos Kerkez – 6
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6
Curtis Jones -7
Florian Wirtz – 7
Mohamed Salah – 5
Hugo Ekitike – 8
Cody Gakpo – 4
Substitutes:
Alexis Mac Allister – 5
Wataru Endo – 5
Harvey Elliott – N/A
Andy Robertson – N/A
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