Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers as Hugo Ekitike impresses and two more stand out

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool edged past Athletic Bilbao in a goal-filled second game of the day at Anfield, with Cody Gakpo scoring twice and Hugo Ekitike impressing.

Around a quarter of an hour into the game, good work from Ekitike saw the French forward beat his man in the box and then cross low to an unmarked Mohamed Salah, who put the ball in the net. Before the half-hour mark, however, Oihan Sancet and had smashed the ball into the net, making it 1-1.

Gakpo put Liverpool in front twice in the second half, netting from close range when Ryan Gravenberch's attempt was spilled, and then squeezing the ball underneath Unai Simon. In between, Maroan Sannadi (or possibly a Gakpo own goal) leveled things up again, and Salah later missed a penalty.

Winners

Hugo Ekitike looked right at home at Anfield. Comparisons with Darwin Nunez are inevitable after the Reds spent big on a number nine again, but the former Eintracht Frankfurt ace linked up the play really nicely, and stayed onside. He looks very intelligent as a forward and got into some excellent positions through clever movement or dribbling. A very good start.

Losers

As with the first game of the day, no one stood out in a negative sense. Had Ryan Gravenberch not been suspended for the opening day clash with Bournemouth, then Alexis Mac Allister might have been wondering how he could get ahead of the Dutchman and Dominik Szoboszlai, but as it happens, that isn't an issue anyway. No injuries was the main thing.

Player ratings

Giorgi Mamardashvil (6). Making his first start at Anfield, the Georgian wasn't particularly busy and couldn't do anything with the shot that beat him. He only scores lower because he didn't have enough to do to prove his quality. Decent on the ball and made a good stop late on.

Jeremie Frimpong (7). Often playing on the wing during pre-season, the new signing from Bayer Leverkusen was at full-back here. Up against the excellent Nico Williams, he came out on top in that battle and kept the Spaniard quiet.

Ibrahima Konate (7). Operating without Virgil van Dijk and having to step up as the senior center-back, the Reds' number five did well. He even tried an overhead kick at one stage...

Wataru Endo (7). Center-back looks like the Japanese's best route to minutes next season after he struggled to get on the field in Arne Slot's debut campaign. Here, he kept things simple and largely went unnoticed, which is no bad thing.

Milos Kerkez (6). Solid if unspectacular from the left-back, who largely kept things simple. He put in a couple of good tackles but didn't offer that much going forward aside from a couple of decent balls into the box.

Ryan Gravenberch (7). Everything he does is so smooth and effortless. With Szoboszlai alongside him, they could form a really good midfield partnership moving forward (though Mac Allister might have something to say about that). Another strong showing.

Dominik Szoboszlai (8). Playing a deeper role than last season, the Hungarian looked very effective, especially in the first half. He was at the heart of every Liverpool attack and got into some great positions. It looked good with him and Gravenberch as a double pivot, and it might be something that we see more often in the coming months.

Mohamed Salah (7). He scored, taking the goal well, and he looked really sharp. Some of his passing is exceptional and he is going to love playing with Wirtz and Ekitike. The less said about that penalty, the better, though.

Florian Wirtz (8). When he gets on the wrong side of a midfield opponent and starts dribbling towards goal, you just get the feeling something is about to happen. Silky, skillful, and only just getting started. The crowd was loving him, which he will quickly get used to.

Cody Gakpo (7). Lively enough down the left and should have scored early in the game after a brilliant pass from Salah that found him at the back post. Scored a pocher's goal by pouncing on a loose ball.

Hugo Ekitike (8). Giving the Anfield crowd its first glimpse of what he can do, the young French striker linked the play up really nicely and showed a few good touches. His decision-making was generally good, like when he beat his man and set up Salah's opener. If this wasn't a friendly, he would have been booked for at least one of his challenges, which he will have to watch.

Substitutes

Federico Chiesa (6). His appearance was a nice excuse for Liverpool fans to break into song. He didn't make a huge impact, but he is at least back from a minor injury.

Amara Nallo and Will Wright (6). The young defender got around 20 minutes of the game. Meanwhile, it was nice for the new signing, announced today, to get some minutes, and he nearly scored after a low shot following a counter.