The first part of John Aldridge’s ECHO column assesses Hugo Ekitike after his two goals helped Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield
It’s now five games unbeaten for Arne Slot’s Liverpool who made further progress on Saturday with that 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield. After such a troubling period, you would be hesitant to go overboard but it is another step in the right direction over the weekend.
But defensively they looked more compact and while Fabian Hurzeler’s side still created one or two opportunities, you have to say it was another decent display at the back from Slot’s players as they made it two wins from two last week with successive clean sheets.
But it was up the other end where the plaudits should go and to Hugo Ekitike, specifically, because he won Liverpool the game with his two goals. He had seven chances in total and you have to say he probably scored the hardest two of them all looking back but you can’t nitpick or be too critical.
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You’ve got to miss ’em to score ’em goes all the old saying in the strikers union and Ekitike has had an excellent week as a Liverpool player. After scoring twice at Leeds United last week, he then leads the line in the San Siro to help secure an important win over Inter in the Champions League before his double saw off Brighton.
It’s 10 goals for the season now and for the France international and he has been, by some distance, the pick of the bunch. He is still just 23 years of age and while he is not a baby in modern terms, he still has his best years ahead of him, which it is hoped are at Liverpool now in this sort of form.
The first goal – after just 46 seconds – could quite easily have come too soon for some strikers. When the game has only just started and you haven’t felt your way into things as such, so many centre-forwards wouldn’t have finished the way Ekitike did past Bart Verbruggen inside the first minute. So that goal was so impressive for me.
The second is just a good striker finding space in the box and heading home to seal the result. And whatever goal you preferred, there was so much to admire from the No.22, who has added a lot of pace, power and dynamism to the forward line.
The thing that I liked most about his performance though wasn’t either goal. It was how gutted he looked that he didn’t get his hat-trick. His other chances that were created meant that he could easily have walked away clutching the match ball and you have to say that, right now, he is getting himself into the sort of shooting opportunities that Alexander Isak simply isn’t.
As a striker you are always more concerned when the chances stop coming more than the goals and with Mohamed Salah now set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations – and maybe even for good – the mantle of ‘main man’ is there to be grasped at Anfield.
Right now, Ekitike looks as well placed as anyone to take that title.
Forever Reds meeting puts world to rights
It was another fantastic evening enjoyed by us all on Sunday as the Forever Reds got together for our Christmas party at the Hilton Doubletree.
It was great to see so many legendary faces out to put the world to rights and it was especially pleasing to see my old mate Alan Hansen out with us all. Alan, of course, had his health issues last year so it was brilliant to see him on such good form alongside the likes of Sir Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler and John Barnes, among others.
It’s 25 years now since we started catching up and we always have such a great time. We have a phrase at Liverpool FC about it being like a family, don’t we? And that is exactly what it feels like when we all catch up and talk all day long about our times playing for this historic football club.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
