Liverpool summer signing received high praise from Manchester United legend and former Everton star Wayne Rooney after the Merseyside Derby on Saturday. The win at Anfield helped the defending champions maintain their perfect start to the Premier League.
Arne Slot’s men secured a 2-1 victory thanks to first half goals from Ryan Graverberch and Hugo Etikite. With five wins in equal number of matches, Liverpool currently sit on top of the Premier League table, with Arsenal, Tottenham and Bournemouth trailing the league leaders by five points.
Mohamed Salah’s chip into the box found Graverberch who put it past Jordan Pickford to put the Reds ahead. And then at the half hour mark, the Dutchman turned provider when he slipped one in to Ekitike for the finish. It was this passage of play which found special mention from Rooney.
Quiz: Name the team Liverpool signed these players from in the 2010s
Wayne Rooney praises ‘clever’ Hugo Ekitike
Credit: Imago
Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, the former England striker praised the Ekitike’s movement off the ball.
“Ekitike, in particular, is a good player – he’s really clever. He can see that the middle and goal are deeper. He knows he can stay in behind Michael Keane, and then Keane can’t get back. Tarkowski doesn’t cover quickly enough.”
The former England striker was particularly impressed with the finish as he went on to add, “And it’s a fantastic finish. From there, it becomes very difficult for the defence to recover.”
Liverpool strike gold with Ekitike
The French striker had previously left Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt to join the Premier League champions over the summer transfer window. With 3 goals in 5 games, the £69m recruit has had an impactful start to life at Anfield.
Ekitike has found a place in the starting XI in all games so far. And with his scoring boots firmly on, it gives Slot options to choose from. Whether this form continues or not is something Liverpool fans will watch with baited breath.
Liverpool’s next game will be an EFL Cup Third Round encounter against Southampton, followed by a trip down to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
