Hugo Ekitike delivered a painful reminder to Newcastle of what might have been, scoring twice as Liverpool secured their first Premier League win of 2026 with a convincing 4-1 victory that lifted them into fifth place.
The French forward, who had already found the net at St James’ Park earlier this season, was Newcastle’s top summer target before Liverpool swooped in.
The defending champions then deepened the sense of regret by prising Alexander Isak away from Tyneside for a British-record fee, though the striker remains sidelined with a broken leg, leaving Ekitike to do the damage on his own.
Ekitike’s brace took his season tally to 15 goals, pushing him into double figures in the league, as Liverpool overturned a first-half deficit in a contest that briefly echoed the wild, end-to-end clashes between the two sides in the 1990s.
Supporters are already murmuring comparisons with Fernando Torres, perhaps a stretch for now, but the composure and precision of Ekitike’s second goal carried more than a hint of the former Anfield favourite.
Another instant crowd favourite, Florian Wirtz, also played a starring role. The German’s sharp footwork created the opener for Ekitike before he calmly slotted home Liverpool’s crucial third goal.
The evening ended on an emotional note as Ibrahima Konaté, visibly moved, marked his return to action following the death of his father by scoring in stoppage time.
Newcastle, missing the injured Bruno Guimarães, leaned into a physical approach.
Anthony Gordon was booked for a late challenge on Alisson Becker after earlier flattening Alexis Mac Allister, but the aggression gradually lost its edge.
Mohamed Salah squandered an early opportunity after being released by Dominik Szoboszlai, and the match soon descended into a frantic, open affair. That chaos initially favoured the visitors.
Harvey Barnes struck the post, and moments later Newcastle broke forward on the counter, Gordon threading a low shot through Milos Kerkez’s legs and beyond Alisson to give the Magpies the lead.
Liverpool responded swiftly. Wirtz danced past three defenders, leaving Kieran Trippier grounded, before Ekitike poked the equaliser past Nick Pope, earning applause from the injured Isak watching from behind the home bench.
Ekitike then turned provider into executioner once more, latching onto Kerkez’s pass, skipping beyond Malick Thiaw and finishing brilliantly with the outside of his right boot. On the touchline, Arne Slot allowed himself a rare fist pump.
Early in the second half, Ekitike nearly completed his hat-trick but dragged wide after forcing a mistake from Dan Burn.
Liverpool still had work to do, with Alisson making a sharp low save from Barnes before the flag spared them further danger.
Relief finally swept through Anfield when Wirtz combined neatly with Salah and guided his effort in off the post.
Salah continued to look frustrated in front of goal, later firing into the side netting when better options were available.
Konaté, however, made no mistake late on, turning in from close range to seal an emphatic win and a statement performance from Liverpool.
