Hugo Ekitike lined up alongside Liverpool creators present and past. It was Florian Wirtz who provided him with a goal, Steven Gerrard who supplied the compliments. A post-match interview pitchside was notable for the way Gerrard, a man not given to gushing, reached for perhaps the highest praise he could.
He compared Ekitike to Fernando Torres. His second goal against Newcastle brought particular echoes: the quicksilver acceleration, the almost instinctive finish. “He’s scoring similar types of goals, where if you give him space in the channel, he’ll run it, he’s too quick, you can’t catch him and he’s deadly,” said Gerrard. “There are a lot of similarities: pace, power.”
It may make Gerrard feel old that Ekitike was only eight when Torres left Liverpool. When the Frenchman saw Gerrard and Torres, it was via clips. “Back in the day I couldn’t watch the Premier League, to be honest,” he said. His mother, he admitted, could not afford the television subscription. He loved Torres, but the influence may still be indirect.
And yet, beyond personal memories of his partner in a devastating double act, there may have been reasons why Gerrard looked back so far for a likeness. Liverpool have had superlative scorers in the last decade, players who have had pace and been prolific, but they have tended to be wingers. It has been the age of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Ekitike can operate off the left and perhaps he will if Alexander Isak is ever available, but he is essentially a speedy striker, as Torres was.
But Ekitike is reshaping events at Anfield. “I would love to be the top scorer in the club,” he said. With 15 goals, almost twice as many as anyone else, it looks as though he will be. And that will be a break from the recent past. Not since Daniel Sturridge a decade ago has a centre-forward finished the season as Liverpool’s leading scorer; not since Luis Suarez in 2013-14 has one done so with 20 or more goals. In part, such statistics reflect Salah’s extraordinary impact, in part Jurgen Klopp’s tactics where Roberto Firmino was the selfless false nine, the wingers were scorers more than crossers and Liverpool found a very new formula.
As they are starting to recalibrate to a post-Salah world, it may involve borrowing from an old one. Torres was at his best with Gerrard in behind him. Liverpool are unlikely to adopt the counter-attacking 4-4-1-1 of Rafa Benitez; Arne Slot has stated his fondness for wingers. And, in any case, Florian Wirtz may often be deployed from the flanks, especially in tougher games that demand a trio in midfield.
But Wirtz operated as a No 10 on Saturday and set up Ekitike’s equaliser. They have combined for six goals this season and an understanding is being forged. “I don’t think it comes to a surprise to anyone – definitely not to me – because the more players play together, the more they can find an understanding,” rationalised Arne Slot. “The more we have the ball they can show how special they are.” Initially Ekitike’s minutes had to be rationed while Wirtz was benched for some of the more demanding games. Now each is a guaranteed starter.
Ekitike had an explosive impact from the off. Wirtz had a slower start, certainly when it came to finding the net, going 23 games without a goal. But since 20 December, he has three assists and six goals in all competitions. Ekitike’s pace can suit a player with an ability to pick a pass and Wirtz said: “He is just unbelievable.”
Part of the logic in buying each was to try and get the best available option. Wirtz was targeted by Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Ekitike was wanted by Newcastle and Manchester United. Liverpool knew they had bought pedigree. Now, a few months on, it seems they have acquired a partnership for the future.
Yet if Ekitike has more similarities with Torres than Wirtz has with Gerrard – the £100m man has nothing like the physical presence or power of the former captain – there are two other distinct differences. One was that Rafa Benitez settled on a blueprint, with Gerrard as a No 10. Slot’s strategy can change, and there are games when Wirtz operates from a wider role.
The other is the ongoing problem of Isak, and where he fits in when fit. He is yet to forge a similar understanding with either Ekitike or Wirtz. While Slot believes others of Liverpool’s signings are benefiting from time together on the pitch, Isak has spent too little, it has been interrupted and he has rarely been in peak condition. And if anyone compares him with Torres now, it will be the Chelsea version – the record buy who scored too few goals – and not the player Gerrard eulogised at Anfield.
