Liverpool centre-forward Hugo Ekitike stole the headlines for the right and the wrong reasons in the club’s 2-1 win over Southampton in the League Cup on Tuesday night.
The France U21 international came off the bench to grab the winning goal against the Championship outfit, slotting into the back of the an empty net from Federico Chiesa’s ball across the box.
Unfortunately, the former Eintracht Frankfurt striker turned a joyous moment into a sour one, taking his shirt off to celebrate and earning himself a second yellow card in the process.
Ekitike will now be unavailable for Arne Slot when the Premier League champions travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Dutch head coach, as evidenced by his comments in the clip above, was less than pleased with his striker’s decision to take his shirt off after the goal.
Parking the silly red card to the side for a moment, Ekitike’s goal off the bench was reminiscent of former Reds forward Daniel Sturridge, who was an excellent super sub for the club.
Liverpool's best goalscoring substitutes of all time
The Reds have had some terrific goalscoring substitutes over the years, whether that has been a key player coming off the bench to make an impact on the rare occasion that they did not start, or a designated impact player who consistently contributed in cameos.
Sturridge played both of those roles at different times in his Liverpool career. He started off as a key player in the Brendan Rodgers era, forming a lethal front three with Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, but was more of an impact substitute in the Jurgen Klopp era.
Thanks to his cameos off the bench, largely under Klopp, the former England international currently ranks fourth in the all-time rankings for goals off the bench as a Liverpool player.
David Fairclough
18
Roberto Firmino
16
Mohamed Salah
14
Daniel Sturridge
13
Ryan Babel
12
Divock Origi
12
Diogo Jota
9
Steven Gerrard
8
Darwin Nunez
8
Djibril Cisse
7
As you can see in the table above, Sturridge only sits behind three players in the all-time rankings, two of them being Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who were always key players but made their way up the list through longevity.
David Fairclough, who left the club in 1983 and may not be too familiar to many supporters in the current day, leads the list with a staggering 18 goals off the bench.
Sturridge was mainly a substitute during his time under Klopp in the Premier League, but was still able to contribute by playing his role well off the bench, making an impact on a regular basis as a substitute.
Whilst it was Ekitike who came off the bench in Sturridge fashion to score the winner against Southampton, it was one of the players who started the game who could be Slot’s own version of the English striker.
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Federico Chiesa has not had too many opportunities to shine as a starter for the Reds since his move to the club from Juventus last year, but he caught the eye with an impressive showing against Southampton on Tuesday night.
Why Federico Chiesa can be Liverpool's next Daniel Sturridge
The Italy international started on the right flank for Liverpool and played a crucial role in the win for the home side, assisting Alexander Isak and Ekitike’s goals.
As shown in the clip above, Chiesa did brilliantly to read and intercept Alex McCarthy’s sloppy pass out from the back to get there before Josh Quarshie to tee Isak up for a simple finish.
The Italian forward later made a fantastic darting run in behind the Saints defence before unselfishly laying the ball off to Ekitike to score the winner by tapping the ball into an empty net.
Minutes
90
Pass accuracy
81%
Key passes
4
Big chances created
4
Assists
2
Dribbles completed
2/4
Duels won
5/8
Chiesa created a stunning four ‘big chances’ in the 90 minutes, per Sofascore, which is more ‘big chances’ than any Liverpool player has created in five Premier League matches so far this season.
The right-sided attacker is unlikely to take a starting spot off superstar Mohamed Salah, but the quality he has displayed when called upon suggests that Slot should utilise his talent off the bench more often.
Chiesa, as shown in the clip above, made a big impact off the bench in the Premier League earlier this season with a crucial goal against Bournemouth, putting his side 3-2 up in the match in the 88th minute.
The 27-year-old attacker only played six times in the top-flight last term, starting one game, but his form in limited minutes suggests that he deserves more opportunities to shine off the bench and become the new Sturridge as an impact substitute for Liverpool.
As writer Bence Boscak stated, Chiesa is “making an impact every time” he plays for the Reds with his quality off the bench or as a starter when selected. His return of seven goals and assists combined in 603 minutes for the club proves that.
The Italy international was unfortunate that one of his big moments off the bench meant very little in the end after he came off the bench to score in the League Cup final last season, only for it to end with a 2-1 win for Newcastle United.
The former Fiorentina star has shown that he can make a big impact when called upon, which is why Slot must continue to provide him with opportunities to shine in a Liverpool shirt, which will put him on course to become the new Sturridge at Anfield.
