Gary Neville concedes misjudgement over Hugo Ekitike’s start at Liverpool

At the beginning of the campaign, most would have expected Ekitike to serve as backup to Alexander Isak.

Still, even when the Swedish striker was available, Slot still kept faith with the ex-Frankfurt man as his main option up top.

And there were good reasons for that call. Ekitike has now hit 15 goals this season and is becoming a favourite among Reds fans.

The praise has not stopped with the goals, and, in recent weeks, plenty of high-profile voices have highlighted his progress.

Alan Shearer referred to the Frenchman as world-class: I mean the brilliance of Ekitike and Wirtz. I thought particularly, Ekitike, I mean, it hurts even more because Newcastle were in for him obviously, as you know, in the summer.

“But he chose to go to Liverpool, which I get, and that’s fine. But he was the difference. The second goal was world-class, it was a good old fashioned like toe-poke, wasn’t it, when he went down on the left and then toe-poked it with his right foot.”

Arne Slot recently likened the 23-year-old to Brazilian great Romario, saying: “His [Ekitike’s] second goal, I don’t know if he knows who he is but Romario who played in Holland and Brazil scored a lot of goals like this. It looked like a Romario goal I have to say.”

On the other hand, Crouch compared him to Fernando Torres. The former Liverpool striker said: “Do you know what Ekitike’s second goal reminded me of? When he burst past him?

“Reminded me of peak Torres at Anfield. You know, like where he slows people down and then bursts like, he kind of slowed him.

“I remember him doing one to Rio [Ferdinand], a couple of times actually, where he slowed him down and then bang gone with the pace and then outside the right foot, reminded me of him.”