Hugo Ekitike has a chance to do something not seen at Liverpool since Daniel Sturridge vs Newcastle
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Liverpool will be walking into an especially hot atmosphere when they emerge at St James’ Park on Monday evening.
The Newcastle stadium can often be a tricky one to play at, with the Magpies’ fans being some of the most passionate and emotional in the country.
It will be Liverpool‘s job to quieten them down and play their own game, hopefully picking up a massive three points in the process.
If they are to come away with a win, the Reds are going to need a big performance from Hugo Ekitike.
Ekitike was initially targeted by Newcastle before joining Liverpool, with some suggestions from the north east that had the Frenchman moved to Tyneside, the Reds may have signed Alexander Isak by now.
As a result, the spotlight is going to be shining on Ekitike on Monday evening.
And as he prepares to face the team he could have joined, the 23-year-old has a chance to match a 12-year-old Daniel Sturridge record.
Photo by Steven Halliwell/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
While much of the talk has understandably surrounded Isak, Ekitike has proven to be a top signing for Liverpool so far.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt star has hit a goal in both competitive matches he has played in for the Reds.
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And as per a pre-match stat from Liverpoolfc.com, another goal to make it three in a row would match a long-standing record.
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No Liverpool player has scored in his first three matches for the club since Sturridge did so at the beginning of 2013.
Given the opponents and the circumstances of this game, there would not be many more popular goal scorers than Ekitike at St James’ Park.
It is records like this one which underline just how underrated Sturridge was as a Liverpool striker.
Although injuries wrecked much of his time at Anfield, the former Chelsea player should be remembered as one of the most clinical finishers in Liverpool history.
Indeed, not many have hit the ground running in the manner Sturridge did when joining from the Blues in 2013.
Signed for a meagre £12m, ‘Studge’ was the same age as Ekitike when joining the Reds.
And, in another similarity to the France U21 star, he scored early into his Liverpool debut.
It took just seven minutes for Sturridge to bury a good finish against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup.
Up against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, Ekitike did it in four.
Sturridge then scored on his first Premier League appearance for the Reds at Old Trafford, before another on his Anfield debut against Norwich City, making him the first player since Ray Kennedy in 1974 to score in his first trio of matches for Liverpool.
Ekitike is now in line to follow him 12 years later.