A Hugo Ekitike brace in the Liverpool vs Brighton & Hove Albion game was decisive in the Reds’ 2-0 win at Anfield on Saturday, December 13. Ekitike scored a goal in each half to carry his team towards victory.
Liverpool are now in sixth position in the Premier League table with 26 points from 16 matches. Mohamed Salah made an appearance in the match as a substitute as well.
Hugo Ekitike Brace Could Not Completely Overshadow Liverpool’s Problems
The Hugo Ekitike brace won the match for Liverpool, but a few concerns were still there.
Firstly, the team did not maintain a proper shape for the initial 20 minutes or so in the match. Most of the players assembled in central areas mostly during the said time period and there were not enough attacks through the flanks.
Secondly, Curtis Jones’ positioning throughout the match was questionable. He played as an auxiliary left-back in the first half and as an auxiliary centre-back in the second. He ended the match as a right-back, as Dominik Szoboszlai had to be taken off owing to an injury.
When a technically gifted player like Jones is used to help the defence, it does not speak well of the team. It meant that Jones could hardly contribute at all to his team’s attack.
With Szoboszlai and Jones playing as right-backs after Joe Gomez was withdrawn because of an injury, Brighton created a lot of attacks through the inside-right channel, especially in the second half. Had the visitors been more clinical with their shooting, they would have been able to score a goal or two.
Third, Florian Wirtz showed a tendency to play in a free role. He followed the ball almost everywhere on the pitch despite starting as a left-winger. Moreover, he almost always played short passes instead of occasionally going for long, diagonal passes across the width of the pitch.
He did not play crosses into the box either. In the second half, when Liverpool started playing counter-attacking football, Ekitike made a lot of forays through the inside-left channel.
Fourthly, Milos Kerkez’s inability to play crosses with his left foot stuck out like a sore thumb. He did not go into overlaps often enough and whenever he did, could not play crosses into the Brighton box.
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Hugo Ekitike Brace and Mohamed Salah’s Energy Did the Trick for Liverpool
The Hugo Ekitike brace took his season’s tally to double digits. He has comfortably been Liverpool’s best player this season.
Moreover, Salah, who played his last match for the Reds before moving out to play at AFCON for Egypt, impressed with his high-energy display.
Ekitike and Salah played as the two forwards during the last 15 minutes or so, as Liverpool switched to a 4-4-2. In fact, the Reds probably looked most threatening with their attacks during the said time period.
The Egyptian registered his 114th assist for Liverpool with a neatly-placed corner that found Ekitike inside the Brighton box. The Hugo Ekitike brace was completed with a header from the Frenchman. Salah remained a threat for Brighton through counter-attacks, but did not quite manage to add to the tally of goals.
Overall, the win was a welcome one for Arne Slot’s men. They have now won back-to-back matches, having previously beaten Inter Milan in a UEFA Champions League match. The improvement in their form intensifies the race for the Premier League top four even more.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo
Recording Date: 13.12.2025
