Ekitike and Wirtz Shine as Liverpool Secure Vital Victory Against Newcastle

Liverpool finally claimed a Premier League victory in 2026, thanks to standout performances from Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, who inspired a convincing 4-1 triumph over Newcastle on Saturday.

The title holders had dropped to sixth place following a dismal streak of five matches without a league success, and they initially trailed after Anthony Gordon netted for the visitors.

However, Ekitike's brace in quick succession transformed the mood at Anfield right before the interval.

Wirtz built on his recent scoring streak after the restart, with Ibrahima Konate adding a poignant finish to the scoreline.

This result propels Liverpool to fifth position, a spot that should guarantee entry into the Champions League for the following campaign, given the robust showings by English teams across Europe.

Newcastle were missing Alexander Isak, sidelined by a fractured leg, which eased some of the lingering tensions between the sides stemming from the Swedish forward's record-breaking switch to Liverpool in September.

Isak observed from the bench, casting an appreciative look at Ekitike's pivotal contributions that flipped the contest.

The French striker had been on Newcastle's radar as a possible successor to Isak, prior to Liverpool acquiring him from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million ($95 million).

Ekitike's rapid double masked the issues in yet another shaky opening period under Arne Slot.

The visitors controlled much of the first half and rightly went ahead when Gordon slotted home his first league goal from open play in more than a year.

Amid the pessimism clouding Liverpool's early 2026 form, there have been glimpses of Ekitike and Wirtz justifying their substantial costs.

The pair linked up superbly to equalise merely five minutes after falling behind.

Wirtz glided past several Newcastle defenders before assisting Ekitike, who poked the ball beyond Nick Pope.

Soon after, Ekitike exploited his electric speed to latch onto a lofted pass from Milos Kerkez and drill it into the distant corner.

Newcastle extended their winless run in their last 30 league visits to Anfield, and this heavy away loss pushes them deeper into the mix for next season's Champions League spots.

Eddie Howe's squad tumbles to 10th, trailing Liverpool by six points.

The toll of Newcastle's midweek exertions in holding European champions Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw on the road contrasted with Liverpool's comfortable 6-0 home rout of Qarabag in the Champions League, becoming evident post-interval.

Ekitike squandered a prime opportunity for his maiden hat-trick by blazing over with only Pope to overcome.

Mohamed Salah once more appeared a faded version of his peak, though the Egyptian contributed to Wirtz's strike that delivered essential points for Slot.

Wirtz had failed to find the net in his initial 22 outings for the Reds since his £100 million transfer from Bayern Leverkusen.

The 22-year-old now boasts six goals across his last 10 games after guiding Salah's delivery into the bottom corner with a precise effort.

The positions nearly switched shortly afterwards, as Salah blasted wide from Wirtz's incisive pass.

Instead, Konate capped the afternoon in his return from compassionate leave following his father's passing.

The French defender broke down in tears after capitalising on a mishandled ball from Pope to tap into an empty goal.