Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Liverpool’s penalty shootout defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday raised plenty of worries for fans ahead of the new season.

The Reds should really be beating Palace on any given day, and went into the match as clear favourites.

Nevertheless, the Eagles are a tough team to beat under Oliver Glasner and having barely done any incoming or outgoing transfer business are also a very settled side.

Liverpool, by contrast, had four new players starting their first ever official match for the Reds, with some disruption perhaps to be expected.

Despite that, Hugo Ekitike was arguably Liverpool’s best player at Wembley.

The Frenchman hit a beautiful effort for his first Reds goal just four minutes into his debut.

From there, Ekitike linked up wonderfully with Florian Wirtz and could even have scored a couple more.

Once Arne Slot took him off, Liverpool looked more than a little toothless, and that lack of threat added to an interesting quirk in Ekitike’s heatmap will give fans plenty to ponder.

Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Some people have wondered why Liverpool are trying to sign Alexander Isak after spending big on Ekitike this summer.

After his stunner just four minutes into his debut, those question marks will have been growing bigger in the eyes of many.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

But, as was clearly proven when Ekitike came off, Liverpool have little firepower up front beyond the Frenchman.

22 played most of his football from the left on Sunday.

READ MORE: Arne Slot laments key issue for Liverpool which ‘didn’t help’ against Crystal Palace

This is where his goal came from, with Ekitike drifting wide, linking up with Wirtz and moving into a central area.

For those wondering how the former Eintracht Frankfurt man and Isak can play together, there’s your answer.

It is true that Ekitike did not play like an out-and-out winger against Crystal Palace.

But he was nominally still Liverpool’s centre-forward.

Regardless, this is not how he would be asked to play if he were technically starting from the left side alongside Isak.

Instead, he would be very much a versatile, fluid forward who could perhaps interchange with the Swedish striker.

With Wirtz providing ammunition from a deeper position, it is easy to see how Liverpool’s new attack could set up.

If it isn’t to be Isak who arrives before September the 1st, then it has to be someone else.

But after Ekitike’s first match of any meaning for the Reds, we can see how the vision can work.