Eddie Howe admission speaks volumes as Hugo Ekitike haunts Newcastle boss

Hugo Ekitike scored twice as Liverpool beat Newcastle 4-1 at Anfield, with Eddie Howe forced to praise the striker Newcastle missed out on signing

Eddie Howe reacts during Liverpool's win(Image: Getty Images)

Eddie Howe praised "outstanding" Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike as the Newcastle United manager was left to lament missing out on the Frenchman in the transfer market.

The 23 year old netted twice as the Reds fought back to defeat the Magpies 4-1. Ekitike had almost completed a move to the North East during the summer transfer window before Arne Slot's team pipped their Premier League counterparts to his signature.

Ekitike's first-half brace sparked the hosts into life after they were forced to respond to Anthony Gordon's opener for Newcastle. Ekitike linked up with Florian Wirtz for the equaliser as he tucked home from the edge of the six-yard box. Then two minutes later, he collected a through ball before slotting into the far corner beyond Nick Pope.

The Reds found another gear after the interval and reaped their rewards with Wirtz maintaining his excellent form, bending low into the bottom corner to extend their lead.

Ibrahima Konate completed the rout, celebrating his return to the squad with a poignant strike, two weeks following his father's passing.

Howe was compelled to acknowledge Ekitike's ability, characterising the 23 year old as a player who possesses "a little bit of everything".

He said: "He's an outstanding player and I think you saw that today. He's got a little bit of everything and I think that's his biggest strength. He's tall, he is quick and he can finish.

"You've got to give Ekitike a lot of credit for the second one but, still a tough angle to score from. That's what happens here when you get the crowd up and before we knew it we were chasing the game.

Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike celebrates(Image: AP)

"It would be a long conversation if I was to go through all goals. We obviously didn't organise ourselves in the correct way and we got punished.

"But I have to say we got punished from a great goal from Ekitke's perspective and sometimes you have to acknowledge the quality of the player against you. Although acknowledging again that we could have defended it better."

Nevertheless, Howe rejected suggestions that missing out on Ekitke made the loss more painful to endure, as he believed that during crucial periods, they struggled to contain Liverpool's elite talents.

He remarked: "It's not about that, it is about us vs them. Obviously, their team is very strong and they've got outstanding players. I thought we controlled those players pretty well through the game, but just in the key moments we didn't."