Hugo Ekitike had been desperately trying to shake off a bout of cramp shortly before his No 22 went up on the fourth official’s board on Saturday, signalling the end of his game in the 78th minute.
The sight of the exhausted French striker heading towards the touchline triggered a standing ovation from home supporters to thank Liverpool’s two-goal match-winner against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Mohamed Salah was always going to dominate the narrative after the events of the previous week. However, it’s the form of Ekitike which fuels the belief that head coach Arne Slot’s side can extend their mini-resurgence of the past few matches and flourish as an attacking force during Salah’s time away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt in the weeks to come.
For the second successive weekend, the £79million ($107m) summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt had scored twice in a Premier League game.
At Elland Road the previous Saturday, the 23-year-old was denied the recognition that should have come with his eye-catching contribution against Leeds United because Liverpool imploded defensively in the game’s final quarter, blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 at the cost of two points.
But that was not the case against Brighton, as Liverpool preserved their advantage to win 2-0. He soaked in the adulation of the Kop, whose song in Ekitike’s honour — to the tune of ‘Do The Conga’ by British pop band Black Lace — has already become a matchday favourite.
His numbers are impressive. Only Daniel Sturridge (eight) has scored more goals in his first 10 Premier League starts for Liverpool than Ekitike’s seven. Salah also managed seven, just above Robbie Fowler and Sadio Mane (both six). That’s some illustrious company.
With 10 goals in his 23 appearances for the club in all competitions, Ekitike is the first Liverpool player to reach double figures quicker than Salah (who has five) in a season since Mane managed it in the title-winning campaign of 2019-20.
Ekitike has showcased a ruthless streak, with his seven league goals coming from an xG (expected goals) figure of 4.4, and a shot conversion rate of 23 per cent. Among top-flight players who have clocked up at least 500 minutes of game time this season, only Erling Haaland of Manchester City boasts a better rate of non-penalty goals per 90 minutes than his 0.72.
It’s a trait that’s not lost on his new team-mates. “He’s very clinical,” Liverpool captain and centre-back Virgil van Dijk told reporters after Saturday’s match. “He’s important with his goals and also the hard work that he puts in. He wants more from himself, and we all want a lot from him.
“It’s not been an easy season, but for him to come in and produce these numbers is excellent. It’s something we need. He just has to stay calm and keep working.”
The dynamic was always going to be intriguing when Ekitike’s arrival in July was followed by Liverpool breaking the British transfer record to sign fellow striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for £125million on deadline day at the start of September.
Slot has repeatedly insisted that having two elite No 9s in his squad is a blessing, especially given his determination to rotate and rest players more often this season than in his 2024-25 title-winning debut campaign. However, big reputations and hefty price tags come with an expectation of game time, with no clear pecking order in place.
Ekitike was able to stake his claim before Isak could in the early stages of the season, as the Sweden international, 26, needed to build up his fitness levels following a summer of strike action to help force through the move to Anfield.
Ekitike scores his second goal of the match against Brighton (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
The six-time France international got off to a flyer with a goal in each of his first three games but that early momentum was checked by being sent off for a second yellow card for taking his shirt off after scoring the winner against Southampton in the Carabao Cup in September. The resulting suspension for the trip to Crystal Palace four days later handed Isak his first Premier League start.
Ekitike didn’t score in the top flight between the Merseyside derby against Everton on September 20 (when he also got the decisive goal in a 2-1 win) and firing Liverpool ahead at Leeds on December 6. However, during that eight-game barren spell in the league, he only started three times.
His relegation to the bench felt harsh, given Isak struggled to impress after being preferred up front.
Even when the Swede finally broke his Premier League duck for the club in last month’s away win against West Ham United, he only had 13 touches in 68 minutes of game time at the London Stadium, according to Opta data. Three days later, Opta says, he took just one more touch than that in an additional 18 minutes on the pitch at home to Sunderland.
Talk about Isak needing time to bed in after missing so much of pre-season is wearing thin as we approach the midway point of the campaign.
Whereas Isak seems to wait for the game to involve him, Ekitike has imposed himself on matches. He provides a combative focal point, using his frame intelligently to hold off defenders and link play. He’s equally comfortable running the channels and bursting in behind with his pace and power.
Last week’s Champions League game against Inter was only the second time Slot has started Ekitike and Isak together. A 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond helped make Liverpool more compact as a unit but their two strikers didn’t exchange a single pass, with little sign of a rapport between them. When Slot sent on fresh legs from the bench midway through the second half, unsurprisingly it was Isak who made way.
Florian Wirtz was then preferred to Isak in the starting line-up against Brighton as Slot tweaked the system to a 4-2-3-1 and there were welcome signs of a growing understanding between the former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker and Ekitike — Liverpool looked much more fluent as an attacking force.
The Frenchman has so many facets to his game. Only Chelsea’s Joao Pedro has averaged more take-ons than his 3.5 per 90 among top-flight centre-forwards this season, and only Haaland and Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus average more shots per 90 than his 3.1. Put simply, the guy makes things happen.
Many factors have been at play, but it feels like no coincidence that Liverpool have won seven of the 10 league matches Ekitike has started this season and just one of the six he hasn’t.
“People mainly focus on Hugo’s goals, which are very important, but I also see a different thing, where he gets stronger and stronger,” Slot told in-house media’s LFCTV post-match on Saturday. “It’s getting more and more difficult for other teams to get him off the ball. He’s getting more energy to keep running, with and without the ball.
“Many of the players we brought in this summer had to adapt to playing both Premier League and Champions League — improving in terms of football but also adapting in terms of intensity and fitness-wise.”
With a full week to prepare for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur and then another seven days before lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers come to Anfield, rotation won’t be needed.
Ekitike has established himself as the leading light of Liverpool’s forward line, leaving Isak — for now, at least — in the shade.