Hugo Ekikite ‘already like Liverpool legend’ after what he did vs Bournemouth
Hugo Ekitike starred again for Liverpool as they won their Premier League opener 4-2 against Bournemouth on Friday.
It was a tense affair at Anfield as the Reds threw a 2-0 lead away, but they would ultimately recover with Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah putting the result beyond doubt on 16 August.
Arne Slot will have been most encouraged by what he witnessed from Ekitike, who was making his debut in the division.
Many have been left wondering whether Liverpool even need Alexander Isak, who they have been heavily linked with in recent weeks.
Ekitike shines against as Liverpool win
Ekitike was the star of the show for Liverpool against Crystal Palace as the Reds were defeated in the Community Shield on 10 August.
That was the case again as they opened their league campaign, with the 23-year-old notching a goal and an assist against Andoni Iraola’s side.
- Ekitike became the first Frenchman to ever score and assist on his Premier League debut
He opened the scoring with a neat finish past Djordje Petrovic after refusing to give up on a ball that seemed set to elude him, and he would set up Cody Gakpo for the second.
Liverpool fans make Torres comparison amid latest Ekitike scenes
Fernando Torres was an icon for the Reds in the late 2000s, with his blonde hair, long-sleeved Adidas shirts and most notably, his goalscoring exploits.
The comparisons are there to be made with Ekitike; they both have blonde hair, both sport long-sleeved Adidas shirts, both scored on their debuts and celebrated with a knee slide.
If Ekitike can have a debut season like Torres did, when the Spaniard scored 33 goals in all competitions, then the comparisons will not go away anytime soon.
They probably do also need Isak, given that the former Paris Saint-Germain star is the only senior recognised striker at the club, but the question right now is, can Slot afford to drop Ekitike?
The current evidence suggests that he cannot, but one striker is not enough to lead a charge for the title and three other trophies, including the Champions League.
The Newcastle star may join, but Slot needs to find a solution where both players get regular game time.
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