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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.<\/b><\/p>\n
Ekitike might face a future fight for his place only weeks after making a \u00a370m 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ekitike was the best of that quartet by a distance, throwing up a conundrum about how head coach Arne Slot will adapt<\/a> should Liverpool return to Tyneside with a bid closer to the striker Newcastle rate at \u00a3150m.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n