By SCM Staff at Anfield
LIVERPOOL proved they are still the Kings of the Comeback as they blew Newcastle away with a four-goal blitz to secure their first Premier League win of 2026.
For 35 minutes, Anfield was a library.
When Anthony Gordon silenced his former neighbours with a clinical strike into the bottom corner, the “Slot-out” brigade were clearing their throats. But then, the Hugo Ekitike show began.
In a breathless 120 seconds that turned the game on its head, Hugo Ekitike showed exactly why Liverpool fought off the Magpies for his signature. First, he was the beneficiary of a piece of Florian Wirtz wizardry, prodding home after the German danced through the Toon defence.
Before the Geordie fans could even finish their grumbling, Ekitike was at it again.
Latching onto a laser-guided long ball from Milos Kerkez, the Frenchman left Dan Burn for dead and unleashed a wicked, outside-of-the-boot finish that left Nick Pope clutching at thin air.
Wirtz and Salah Pull the Strings
If Ekitike provided the finishing, Florian Wirtz provided the class.
The German international looked every bit the £100m man, orchestrating play with a swagger that Newcastle simply couldn’t handle.
He got the goal his performance deserved in the second half, ghosting into the box to meet a clever cut-back from Mohamed Salah. While Salah had a frustrating night in front of goal himself, his vision to pick out Wirtz for the third goal proved he is still the Reds’ creative heartbeat.
Emotional Ending
The loudest cheer of the night, however, was reserved for Ibrahima Konate.
Returning to the side after the recent passing of his father, the big Frenchman capped a rock-solid defensive display by bundling home a fourth in stoppage time.
The scenes at the final whistle—with Konate surrounded by every single one of his teammates—told the story of a club that has finally found its spirit again.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson 7; Szoboszlai 7, Konate 9, Van Dijk 7, Kerkez 8; Gravenberch 8, Mac Allister 6, WIRTZ 9; Salah 7, EKITIKE 9, Gakpo 6.
NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope 5; Trippier 4, Schar 5, Thiaw 4, Hall 6; Longstaff 5, Guimaraes 6, Willock 5; Gordon 7, Isak 5, Barnes 6.
