The Frenchman had missed the Reds’ last two games due to injury, but returned to the squad against the League One team at Anfield yesterday.
Ekitike was introduced as a second-half substitute and registered a wonderful assist for Florian Wirtz before the Germany international returned the favor in extra time as Arne Slot’s men progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 win.
Our number 22’s strike – his twelfth of the campaign (across all competitions) – has now scored in all five competitions he has played in this season and is now the only other redshirt player to do so in his debut season since Sir Kenny Dalglish in 1977/78.
This remarkable statistic, noted by @Michael_reid11 on Xshows just how good a debut season the 23-year-old is having since his move from Frankfurt in the summer.
Alexander Isak was expected to be the main decoy for the Premier League champions but has struggled for form and is also expected to be out for a significant amount of time with a broken leg. This means that there is now extra pressure on Ekitike.
He’ll be eagerly awaiting a spot in the starting line-up when Burnley visit Anfield on Saturday – so let’s hope he can add to his tally and fire the Reds towards another big three points!
Check out Reid’s tweet below:
Hugo Ekitike has scored in the Community Shield, Premier League, League Cup, Champions League and FA Cup this season.
The only other player to score in 5 competitions on his debut #LFC season is Kenny Dalglish in 1977-78 – league, League Cup, Super Cup, FA Cup, European Cup.
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) January 13, 2026
#Hugo #Ekitike #elite #company #goal #Barnsley