Florian Wirtz celebrates his goal(Image: Getty Images)
Thanks to a new partnership with one notable fashion designer, Liverpool’s players rocked up to Anfield sporting an impressive fresh look on Saturday evening. Appropriate, then, that this revamped Reds were indebted to their raft of new recruits after finally kickstarting their Premier League campaign this year.
And how Arne Slot will hope this resounding, deserved victory can act as a calling card for a team he remains adamant can make of a success of such a testing season.
Having earlier seen Chelsea come from behind to strengthen claims for Champions League qualification, this was the first time Liverpool had done likewise in the Premier League since being crowned champions in April.
OPINION
After a 13-game unbeaten run was brought to a shuddering halt in dramatic fashion last week at Bournemouth, Slot was forced to defend his tenure in the wake of more speculation surrounding his future.
His team, though, have subsequently gone on the offensive, following the six goals against a hapless Qarabag in midweek with another four here to comfortably see off Newcastle United.
And as is increasingly becoming the norm, the players Liverpool have invested heavily in to shape the future are impacting the present.
None more so than Hugo Ekitike. His two goals in as many minutes before the break turned the game on its head after Anthony Gordon’s opener and served as a reminder of the importance of Liverpool snatching the player from under the noses of Newcastle in the summer.
Indeed, the French striker signalling the score to the away fans as he walked off following his late substitution before saluting the Main Stand was another example of why he has become a huge crowd favourite.
The goals, of course, also help, Ekitike now with 15 – 10 in the top flight, with just three players having scored more – while Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the only Premier League player with more goal contributions in all competitions.
There were questions at the time over why Liverpool needed both Ekitike and Alexander Isak. If the injury issues of Isak – caught smiling sat behind the bench as his new club downed old – have increased Ekitike’s importance, there’s a strong argument his form would have forced him into the side regardless.
But he wasn’t the only newcomer to impress. Having assisted the equaliser with another example of his partnership with Ekitike, Florian Wirtz helped himself to the third and will surely be a key figure if Liverpool are to salvage tangible reward over the next four months, while Ekitike was released to score the second by Milos Kerkez, who atoned for being partially at fault for Liverpool going behind.
None of the goals, though, were cheered as loudly as the one prodded home by Ibrahima Konate during injury time.
It has been a tough week for the Frenchman following the death of his father, and on his return after three games missing on compassionate leave Konate was excellent in quelling Newcastle’s attacking threat.
His late strike in front of the Kop prompted an outpouring of emotion with Alisson Becker, who went through the same pain in 2021, running the full length of the pitch to join the celebrations. Understandably, Konate was subsequently in tears.
His return had allowed Ryan Gravenberch to move back into a recognised central midfield role although, with Jeremie Frimpong joining Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez on the sidelines, there was further disruption to the Reds rearguard with Dominik Szoboszlai compelled to reprise the right-back role he first occupied in the win up at Newcastle back in August.
The reshuffle undoubtedly contributed to a slow start in which Newcastle dominated in terms of set-pieces, forcing eight corners in the first half, a number of dangerous free-kicks and a handful of long throws.
While Harvey Barnes struck the post with one dead-ball routine from 25 yards, that Liverpool otherwise successfully negotiated the remainder would have made the manner of their going behind nine minutes before the break all the more frustrating, a Newcastle counter-attack ending with Alexis Mac Allister’s interception inadvertently finding Gordon who struck through the retreating Kerkez into the far corner.
But that served only to spark Liverpool and Ekitike into life. The Frenchman had already sent a warning with two efforts repelled by Nick Pope when, on 41 minutes, he was in the right place to finish first-time through the Newcastle goalkeeper after excellent play in a tight space inside the area from Wirtz.
Ekitike’s second two minutes later, though, was largely his own work, capitalising on an unusual amount of space vacated by Newcastle to run on to Kerkez’s inviting long ball down the inside left channel, stand up and then go beyond Malick Thiaw and then flick an early finish with his right foot into the bottom corner.
The midweek Champions League endeavours at Paris Saint-Germain started to catch up with Newcastle and Liverpool had long sensed the tiredness that contributed to their third on 67 minutes.
After Cody Gakpo won possession in the Newcastle half, the ball was swiftly moved to Wirtz who fed Mohamed Salah to the right before striking home the return pass.
It was then left for Konate to cap an impressive victory by scoring a deflected effort after Szoboszlai’s corner dropped invitingly into his path. The clothes may have been different, but this was a much more recognisable Liverpool performance.