Florian Wirtz ended his run of 11 games without a goal or assist for Liverpool in Wednesday’s 5-1 away win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Wirtz provided two assists as the Reds came from 1-0 down to earn three UEFA Champions League points and end a worrying run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions.
His first assist came in the 66th minute when his low pass across the penalty area was tapped into the net by Cody Gakpo.
Just four minutes later, Wirtz was credited with another goal when he overtook Dominik Szoboszlai and fired home from more than 25 yards.
His slow start to his Liverpool career had drawn criticism ahead of Wednesday’s victory, with Bayern Munich legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge saying last month that he felt ‘sorry’ for Wirtz.
The 22-year-old joined Anfield for £116.5 million in a record-breaking summer transfer window for Premier League clubs. Expectations were high after he delivered sixteen goals and thirteen assists in his final season for Bayer Leverkusen.
Florian Wirtz’s first twelve games for Liverpool
| Result | Min | Goals | Assists | Yellow |
| Crystal Palace 2-2 Liverpool (CS) | 84 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth (PL) | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool (PL) | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (PL) | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (PL) | 87 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool 3-2 Atl Madrid (UCL) | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool 2-1 Everton (PL) | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool (PL) | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool (UCL) | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (PL) | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool 1-2 Man Utd (PL) | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool (UCL) | 90 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Fans react after Florian Wirtz assisted two goals for Liverpool in their 5-1 win over Frankfurt
Many Liverpool supporters praised Florian Wirtz on social media after his two assists against Frankfurt.
“Wirtz is a class act,” declared one fan. “I finally got to see him play.”
Another Reds supporter tweeted: “Wirtz was class tonight… bossed that midfield. Played like a general.”
A third Liverpool fan added: “Anyone with a football brain will understand that Wirtz is a ball player. Yes, I expected things to move faster, but he has to play for rhythm week in, week out.”
Florian Wirtz scoffed after ending the goal and assist drought
But many of the reports about Wirtz after Wednesday’s game came from rival fans mocking him.
Numerous users seemed amused that his first productive appearance in a Liverpool shirt came against German opposition.
Many tweets described the Bundesliga as a “peasant league” and suggested that this was Wirtz’s true level.
“Florian Wirtz performing alone against a German club should tell you one thing,” one user wrote. “He only belongs to the farmers’ union.”
A Chelsea fan wrote: “Wirtz had to face a Bundesliga club again before he could even get an assist.”
An Arsenal fan added: “Florian Wirtz can only perform against Bundesliga teams.”
Meanwhile, a Manchester United supporter joked: “This match doesn’t count for Wirtz. He’s played in the Bundesliga all his life. Let Liverpool break the British transfer record just to go and assist against a Bundesliga team? You can’t fool me.”
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