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Liverpool used the first half against Yokohama FM to hand Hugo Ekitike his Liverpool debut. It was a relatively understated affair, but it gave an intriguing first glimpse of the Frenchman.
Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial $92 million (£69 million), the arrival of Ekitike arguably takes on even more importance following the recently confirmed departure of Luis Diaz. Whatever other business Liverpool may complete this summer, the 23-year-old is sure to form a significant part of Arne Slot's attack.
The striker had looked lively in limited glimpses into training, but it's always exciting seeing a new signing in match action for the first time. Here's what we spotted, with Ekitike handed 45 minutes.
Good link-up with Salah already
It took mere moments for the first glimpse of Ekitike. And there was no surprise about who he was linking up with: Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian's game has evolved over the years to the point where he is now Liverpool's chief creator — even if Florian Wirtz may hope to come for that crown this season. Any striker worth his salt at Anfield will need to get on Salah's wavelength.
So it was good to see Ekitike rushing onto a Salah pass within moments of kick-off. Scurrying down toward the byline, he was ultimately unable to do anything with it, but it was an early sign of promise.
Later on, Ekitike's off-the-ball movement carved out some valuable space for Salah, who was able to find Wirtz in a dangerous position. It came to nothing once again, but the Frenchman's presence only made the right flank look even more threatening.
Not your average number nine
For a matter of hours, it was assumed that Ekitike had been signed as the out-and-out number nine for Liverpool. That may well still prove to be the case, but it did not take long for reports to confirm that the Reds are also maintaining their interest in Alexander Isak.
Should that come to fruition, then Ekitike may well need to show some adaptability across multiple positions. That might be required in any case, with Slot keen on a fluid, interchanging front line.
Even in this 45-minute glimpse, it was clear that Ekitike is not a one-dimensional striker. He is a willing runner in behind and a physical presence in the box, but he is also eager to get involved elsewhere.
He drifted into the wide channels on occasion as well. Admittedly, he appeared to prefer the right flank, whereas Diaz's departure might necessitate him filling in from the left from time to time — but you could get a small sense of how he might be effective from the wing.
Ekitike also won possession back for Liverpool on at least one occasion. He showed some lovely hold-up play around the halfway line too, after receiving the ball from Ryan Gravenberch — a sequence which eventually led to Cody Gakpo striking the post.
All in all, without pulling up any trees, it was an impressively well-rounded performance. There was certainly enough there to get excited about.
Hugo extra-cheeky
Ekitike did not end his debut without registering a shot on target. When it came, it came in unorthdox fashion: an improvized flick, after the ball had run across his body.
It was probably the right option in a congested box, and it forced a reasonable save out of the Yokohama keeper. Still, it was a bold way of attempting to score your first Liverpool goal.
That was a sign of confidence. You only need to look to Darwin Nunez to see what a big part that can play when leading the line for a club of Liverpool's size, so it was nice to see Ekitike trying a few flicks and tricks.
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