Time second-string Ekitike was Liverpool's first choice?

It is hard to call a £79m summer signing the forgotten forward, even as a fraction of a £450m spending spree. Yet there are times when Hugo Ekitike has been Liverpool's overlooked attacker. He feels destined to be overshadowed, and the one time he grabbed the limelight was for a silly sending off.

- RICHARD JOLLY

His goals, though, tend to be demoted to the status of subplots. Consider the last two Saturdays. Ekitike has scored successive doubles, becoming the youngest Liverpool player to net twice in consecutive Premier League matches since Michael Owen in 2001. And yet each occasion has ended up being about Mohamed Salah - after his interview at Elland Road and his reintegration against Brighton.

The first, arguably, started to revolve around others when Leeds mounted a comeback following Ekitike’s brace. First, Anton Stach’s goal seemed the most important of the game, then Dominik Szoboszlai’s, to restore Liverpool’s lead, and finally Ao Tanaka’s 96th-minute equaliser.

It conformed to a trend. Ekitike’s season started with three goals in as many games, each the precursor to further drama. His fourth-minute opener in the Community Shield final represented a flying start to his Liverpool career, but they lost to Crystal Palace on penalties.