Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield on January 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield on January 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hugo Ekitike almost joined Newcastle United last summer before Liverpool came to the table.
After scoring in the Reds’ 3-2 win at St James’ Park in August, the Frenchman was on the scoresheet twice this time to flip the match on its head on Merseyside.
Newcastle were well on top and made their pressure count in the 36th minute through Anthony Gordon’s opener. Ekitike, however, had other ideas, scoring twice in two minutes to give the Reds the lead at half-time.
Ekitike equalised five minutes after Gordon’s strike when he poked home Florian Wirtz’s cross. His second then arrived in the blink of an eye as he latched onto Milos Kerkez’s long pass and fired his effort into the bottom left corner.
Eddie Howe praises Hugo Ekitike after his brace v Newcastle United
Even Eddie Howe could not help but hold his hands up.
"Sometimes you have to acknowledge the player against you while also acknowledging we could have defended better," Eddie Howe admitted.
"Ekitike is an outstanding player and you saw that today. He's got a little bit of everything and that's his biggest strength. He's tall, quick and he can finish."
Eddie Howe rejects Hugo Ekitike after Newcastle United snub
It’s no secret that Ekitike came close to joining Newcastle last summer. Super agent Ali Barat revealed he had “agreed everything” before Liverpool hijacked the move.
So, did that make the defeat more painful? “Not really, it's not about that, it's about us v them,” Howe replied. “Obviously their team is very strong and they've got outstanding players. I thought we controlled those players pretty well through the game, but just in the key moments we didn't.”
It was the third time Howe’s side missed out on signing Ekitike after he twice turned down a move in 2022 before joining Paris Saint-Germain.
The switch to Paris did not work out. After 18 months, Ekitike was binned by manager Luis Enrique and shipped to Eintracht Frankfurt. He initially joined on loan in January 2024 before joining permanently the following summer.
After scoring 22 goals in 48 appearances last season, Newcastle led the chase for Ekitike’s signature but once Liverpool showed interest, his mind was made up.
Speaking earlier this week, Ekitike said: “Obviously we were close (to signing for Newcastle) but I made my choice. I knew where I wanted to come, so that's all I can give to you. Liverpool fans’ support means a lot. I play for the fans, they give me so much energy.”
Hugo Ekitike mocks Newcastle United fans
Ekitike was also told he might get some stick from Newcastle fans, to which he responded: “I don't care. I play for Liverpool, I have my fans here, we played there (Newcastle) already and won so hopefully we will have a great week of working. I don't care about this, I just want to play and help the team. It is simple.”
And the 23-year-old stayed true to his words. When walking past the away end after being substituted, Ekitke responded to the stick he was getting by pointing to the scoreboard before scoring 3-1 with his fingers.
Florian Wirtz added a third whilst Ekitike was on the pitch before Ibrahima Konate added a fourth in stoppage.
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