What Hugo Ekitike said about Mo Salah after Liverpool win will make Reds fans adore him even more
Hugo Ekitike was Liverpool’s two-goal hero against Brighton on Saturday afternoon, and he modestly sought to heap glowing praise on the other man who’s set to dominate tonight’s headlines.
A darling of the Kop, the Frenchman had already netted once by the time Mo Salah came on for the injured Joe Gomez in the 25th minute, with the Reds’ number 11 getting a rousing reception at Anfield as fans showed their support for him despite his incendiary comments a week ago.
The Egypt winger spurned a late chance to make a goalscoring return to action as he blazed over the bar after being teed up by Federico Chiesa, but the 33-year-old was the recipient of a ringing endorsement from the summer signing.
Ekitike: It’s a ‘blessing’ to play alongside Salah
It’s rare that we’d get to this stage of the season with Salah not being Liverpool’s leading goalscorer, with Ekitike instead out clear in front with 10 goals to the Egyptian’s five, but the 23-year-old is aware of the illustrious company that he keeps at Anfield.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after today’s match, the France international said: “Mohamed is a great, great professional. I look to him as an example. You can see how much he is involved in goals and assists.
“He is a legend here. To share the pitch is a blessing. That’s the kind of player who makes us like to watch football.”
Can Ekitike become as much of a Liverpool great as Salah?
Salah has been hammered by numerous pundits in recent days after his fiery comments last weekend, but while he was wrong to air his grievances in public, it’s evident that his teammates and the Liverpool fan base remain firmly behind him.
It’d be fair to state that he’s been having a poor season by his stratospheric standards, and that he wasted two good openings in the closing minutes today when the Reds were tentatively clinging to their 2-0 lead.
However, Ekitike rightly recognises just how special a player the 33-year-old has been at Anfield ever since he joined the club in 2017, and that’s exactly the kind of legacy that the Frenchman will hope to leave during his time on Merseyside.
Despite suggestions in some quarters that today could be Salah’s final match for Liverpool before he leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations and departs LFC for good next month, his post-match salute to the fans didn’t have the feel of a permanent goodbye, but rather a ‘see you soon’.
The winger will be missed while he’s away on international duty, but so long as his French teammate at Anfield keeps producing the goods up front (with input from his teammates, too), the Reds should hopefully be in a strong position domestically whenever our number 11 returns from the tournament in Morocco.
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