FRANKFURT, Germany — 5 was a quantity that Liverpool needed to keep away from towards Eintracht Frankfurt however, quite than endure a fifth successive defeat in all competitions, Arne Slot’s workforce ended their shedding streak with a 5-1 Champions League victory that answered many of the questions being requested of the Premier League champions.
Most, however not all.
Slot can have been delighted to see £100 million summer time signing Florian Wirtz register two assists within the emphatic win, and it was additionally an evening when Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones proved that Liverpool can have a functioning midfield unit, even with a lot attacking expertise on the pitch.
However whereas the positives of such a snug win to finish a four-game shedding run are clear, the draw back of Liverpool’s efficiency at Deutsche Financial institution Park was the 45-minute no-show of Alexander Isak, the £125 million British report signing, who was changed by substitute Federico Chiesa at halftime, citing a groin difficulty, after a worryingly ineffective show.
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Slot stated final Friday, previous to the 2-1 Premier League defeat towards Manchester United at Anfield, that Isak now had no excuses over his kind and health after a disrupted preseason that noticed him barely prepare whereas he waited for his transfer from Newcastle United to occur.
“We will choose him in a good means any longer,” Slot stated simply 5 days in the past however, after deciding on the Sweden worldwide forward of Mohamed Salah towards Eintracht, the Liverpool head coach will solely be grateful to Hugo Ekitike, the £69 million summer time arrival from the Frankfurt workforce, for as soon as once more stepping up with a purpose whereas his extra celebrated strike associate continues to flounder.
“Alex needed to go off as a result of he felt his groin,” Slot instructed reporters. “Let’s hope it is not too dangerous.”
Isak now has one purpose in eight appearances and a possible spell on the sidelines forward, however Ekitike has six objectives in 12 and it’s the France worldwide who seems just like the star act, the principle man, or no matter else you need to name the ahead who’s almost certainly to ship when the warmth is on. With Liverpool trailing 1-0 following Rasmus Kristensen’s twenty sixth minute purpose, Ekitike was the game-changer with a shocking equalizer 9 minutes later.
Simply seven seconds elapsed between Andy Robertson taking part in the ball out of the Liverpool penalty space and the ball hitting the again of the Eintracht web after Ekitike confirmed unimaginable tempo and poise earlier than scoring previous his former membership.
It was the end of a supreme purpose scorer and one thing that Isak can solely dream of doing proper now. However inside 4 minutes of Ekitike’s purpose, Virgil van Dijk’s header had put Liverpool forward they usually have been 3-1 up by halftime thanks to a different header from Ibrahima Konaté.
Ekitike’s purpose was the catalyst, nevertheless, and it remodeled a foul night time into a wonderful one for Liverpool. Second-half objectives from Cody Gakpo and Szoboszlai, each created by Wirtz, secured an emphatic profitable margin, however had Liverpool scored seven or eight, it could not have flattered Slot’s workforce.
Eintracht have been poor, although, and the gulf in school between the 2 sides was big, so whereas Liverpool will undoubtedly take confidence from the win and the top of their shedding run, the true proof of whether or not they’re over their blip will come once they journey to Brentford within the Premier League on Saturday.
However the usual of the opposition won’t matter to Liverpool. Slot even recommended that they made it straightforward for his aspect with their ways.
“We have been capable of press the opponent,” Slot stated. “However we weren’t in a position to do this in latest video games as a result of the ball was all the time within the air.”
The ball will definitely be within the air at Brentford, a workforce famed for its use of set items, and that’s judgment must be reserved on Liverpool till then.
If they’ll face up to what comes at them this weekend, and if Wirtz can translate his efficiency in Frankfurt to the extra demanding arenas of the Premier League, then this victory would be the turning level that Liverpool have been looking for.
Wirtz was given the time and house to select holes in Eintracht’s protection and he exploited it, however the straightforward method through which he was bounced off the ball by Nathaniel Brown previous to the house aspect’s opener was a glimpse into the issues he has skilled within the Premier League, the place he has discovered the bodily calls for to be robust.
Time will inform whether or not Wirtz has come by his tough interval, simply as the identical applies to Liverpool as an entire.
Nevertheless, typically a win is all that issues, irrespective of who could be on the receiving finish. If coasting to victory in Frankfurt unlocks the door for Slot and his workforce, then their shedding streak will quickly be forgotten.
However Liverpool should construct on this win to show that it wasn’t a false daybreak.