Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool earned a 4-1 victory over Newcastle with Hugo Ekitike scoring a double.
Arne Slot hailed Hugo Ekitike’s improvements he has made off the ball despite firing Liverpool to victory over Newcastle United.
The Reds earned a 4-1 triumph over the Magpies to move up to fifth in the Premier League table. It was Ekitike’s quickfire double that proved decisive in Liverpool claiming all three points.
After Anthony Gordon gave Newcastle the lead at Anfield, Ekitike equalised in the 41st minute before putting the home side ahead two minutes later with an outstanding finish. The £79 million summer signing from Eintrahct Frankfurt took his tally to 15 goals in all competitions since moving to Merseyside.
On Ekitike’s impact when asked about his character away from the pitch, Liverpool head coach Slot said: “Funny, happy, always brings a nice energy to the training ground, but also to the stadium because the fans love him as well. From the start, I think everybody could see how special he is, how fast he is. That was probably seen the best in the second goal he scored; he took a one-v-one on, went on the outside, which is very, very difficult in modern football to beat someone around because usually players go to the inside and have a shot with the right. But there you can see his pace.
“Again, I would love to mention the fact that probably didn’t even improve that much on the ball because he was special from the start, but his biggest improvement is his work-rate off the ball and that is so helpful and necessary for any team, let alone for a team that wants to press throughout 95 minutes.”
Florian Wirtz also made a pivotal contribution against Newcastle. It was the attacking midfielder who set-up Liverpool’s equaliser when driving to the byline and teeing-up Ekitike. Wirtz then gave the Reds a two-goal cushion in the 67th minute with a clinical finish. Signed for £100 million from Bayer Leverkusen, the Germany international ahs scored six goals in his past 10 games and made marked improvements after his early struggles.
Slot added: “I think our other signings played a very good game as well. Everyone should talk about his goals and his actions and how nice this is because this is where pundits or every fan should talk about, because that’s much more important than work off the ball for them. But for me, as a manager, I see throughout the last six or seven months improvement but lately a lot of improvement in terms of work-rate off the ball – not even work-rate but the ability to keep on going off the ball, especially with Hugo and Florian.
“They’ve improved in the last seven or eight months but now I think everyone can see that improvement as well. The more we have the ball they can show how special they, and all the ones who won the league here, are together, and unfortunately that took a bit of time because that is how high the intensity levels of the Premier League are.”
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