‘Very promising’ – Shearer loved one thing Hugo Ekitike did in Liverpool’s win other than his goal | OneFootball

Hugo Ekitike has already earned plaudits from the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer after only one match in the division.

The Liverpool centre-forward made his top-flight debut for the club in their 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday night and opened the scoring in the first half, having also found the net in the Community Shield the previous weekend.

The 23-year-old claimed an assist as well against the Cherries as he set up Cody Gakpo’s strike early in the second half, and Alan Shearer was keen to praise the Reds’ number 22 for his immediate impact at his new club.

Shearer praises Ekitike after ‘very promising’ start at Liverpool

The former Newcastle striker joined Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football to assess the opening weekend of the new season, and he was particularly impressed not just with Ekitike’s goal on Friday but also his contribution for the Dutchman to double our lead shortly after the interval.

Shearer said: “He’s got the intelligence to drop off like he did for his goal. It was a lovely run to get the ball short, then find the space in the middle and go in behind. He might’ve got a little bit of luck with the ricochet for the tackle, but the way he finished it off…

“Then linking up with Gakpo for that goal as well. I think he played a large part in that with his hold-up play and the turn and the pass. It’s a very, very promising start from him.”

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Ekitike already looking like money well spent by Liverpool!

The BBC pundit knows a thing or two about scoring goals in the Premier League, and his praise of Ekitike was fully merited.

The way in which the Liverpool striker charged at the Bournemouth defence prior to his goal was a delight to watch as he spotted the gap and went for it, before then waiting for the ball to drop kindly for him after the ricochet off Marcos Senesi.

His intelligent running off the ball was again evident in the lead-up to Gakpo’s finish, ghosting in behind to latch onto Milos Kerkez’s pass and then holding it up for the Dutchman to cut inside and take possession before finishing neatly past Djordje Petrovic.

It’s obviously much too early to call Ekitike an unqualified success so early in his Anfield career, but to score in both of his first two competitive games for the club and provide an assist is exactly the start to life on Merseyside that he and everyone of an LFC persuasion would’ve wanted.

He’s already shown that he can finish expertly and put himself in positions to either score or assist with his clever movement, and that combination should serve him extremely well over the course of his first season at Liverpool.

If he keeps this up, it won’t be long before his initial £69m transfer fee begins to look like a bargain!