Hugo Ekitike was Liverpool’s headline act on a night of pure theatre at Anfield which was high on emotion and rich in thrilling drama, but was also played out under the shadow of allegations of racist abuse.
Ekitike might face a future fight for his place only weeks after making a £70m from Eintracht Frankfurt, with Newcastle United rebel Alexander Isak still on Liverpool’s agenda – but he stated his case eloquently with a superb individual display that made him an instant hero on The Kop.
Liverpool’s 4-2 win, secured with late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah, was packed with sub-plots – not all of them good. Indeed, the scoreline barely touches the sides of a chaotic night.
It all started with emotional tributes to Diogo Jota, the Liverpool striker killed in a car crash in July, along with his brother Andre Silva.
The Kop was adorned with banners paying tribute to Jota, including one for his family reading: ‘Anfield will always be your home. You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before a minute’s silence.
Jota was remembered in song throughout, with a rousing minute of applause after 20 minutes for the beloved striker who wore the number 20 shirt.
It was a night when Liverpool’s expensive transition was on display, with four Premier League newcomers including Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, as well as full-back pair Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
The scale of change is illustrated by the fact that, excluding the inaugural 1992-93 season, Liverpool are the first reigning champions to name as many as four Premier League debutants in their opening-day starting line-up.
Ekitike was the best of that quartet by a distance, throwing up a conundrum about how head coach Arne Slot will adapt should Liverpool return to Tyneside with a bid closer to the striker Newcastle rate at £150m.
Slot has barely used a strike pairing since he arrived at Liverpool, so it would be a change of gear to combine Ekitike and Isak should the latter arrive.
It may not quite beg the question of whether Liverpool actually need to make such a lavish outlay on another striker, but it will give Slot a conundrum to solve.
