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Mo Salah proved his point on Hugo Ekitike problem as he breaks silence after being benched

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Hugo Ekitike missed a massive chance late in the game against Atletico Madrid(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)

Hugo Ekitike's glaring miss against Atletico Madrid proved Mohamed Salah's point that the Liverpool duo aren't yet on the same page.

The Reds captured a nail-biting 3-2 win over the Spanish giants on Wednesday in their first Champions League game of the season.

A brace from Marcos Llorente cancelled out early strikes from Andy Robertson and Salah, but it was the captain Virgil van Dijk who rose highest to direct a header past Jan Oblak in the 92nd minute to win the game at Anfield.



There was still time on the clock, however, as the Reds pushed on for a fourth before the full-time whistle blew.



Dominik Szoboszlai played a ball into Salah who marauded down the right flank and crossed the ball into Ekitike to finish home from a few yards.

Despite it looking like the Frenchman would easily direct the ball in the back of the net, he instead fluffed his shot with his effort going over the bar.

It was certainly an attempt at goal Liverpool fans have not yet seen from the 23-year-old who has already scored three goals for the club this season.

While Ekitike arrived at the correct moment of Salah's pass, he may have mistimed the pace the Egyptian put on the ball, perhaps contributing to his forgettable effort on goal.

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The failed conversion does give credibility to Salah's previous admission that he does not yet have a familial understanding with Ekitike on the pitch.

Given the pair have only started five games together, it's not a cause for concern but one fans may decide to keep an eye on him as the campaign progresses.

It was during an appearance on the Men In Blazers Media Network where the 33-year-old said patience will need to be had when it comes to building chemistry with his new team-mates, Ekitike in particular.

Mohamed Salah missed out on a second assist against Atletico Madrid after Hugo Ekitike's miss at the end of the game(Image: Marc Atkins)

"So far, I didn't figure the connections out yet," said the Liverpool great.

So I will figure it out soon because also it's going to help my game to grow as well." Ekitike was introduced in the game in the 58th minute after he was dropped to the bench for the first time in his Liverpool career, making way for the club's record signing in Alexander Isak who made his Reds debut.

The relegation to the substitutes bench did nothing to lessen the support the striker received from the Anfield crowd who serenaded the France star when warming up and when coming on in the second half.

Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut on Wednesday in place of Hugo Ekitike(Image: Liverpool FC, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Ekitike was one of four Frenchmen involved in the match but it was the presence of Atletico's Antoine Griezmann that proved to be a special moment for him.