Overview
- Ekitike has eight Premier League goals, including five in his last three matches, after starting the season as a backup.
- Liverpool have climbed to fifth following a dire run of nine defeats in 12 across competitions earlier in the campaign.
- Alexander Isak is out for roughly two months with a broken leg and Mohamed Salah is at AFCON, increasing reliance on Ekitike.
- Slot has pushed Ekitike to take on set-piece defensive duties, with Liverpool’s set-piece balance at minus eight after conceding 11 and scoring three.
- The summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt was reported at an initial £69 million, with Slot also naming Federico Chiesa as cover at No. 9.