Hugo Ekitike is standing at the right intersection of the past and present at Liverpool. Florian Wirtz is the one who passes the ball for him to score, while Steven Gerrard is the one who stands in front of the camera and gives the 23-year-old striker a rare compliment, in the most direct way of a symbol who is not usually flamboyant.
Gerrard compared Ekitike to Fernando Torres, and the second goal against Newcastle really reminds people of El Nino. "If you give him space on the wing, he will run, he is too fast, you can't catch up and he is very dangerous. There are many similarities" - Gerrard commented.
That comparison is even more interesting when Ekitike was only 8 years old when Torres left Anfield. He admitted that he could not watch the Premier League when he was young because his mother did not have enough money to buy pay television. Meaning that memories of Torres - if any - mainly come from videos. An indirect admiration, but creating a very real feeling on the pitch.
What Liverpool has lacked for many years is not a scorer, but a true fast center forward. In the last decade, they owned machines like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, but those were wingers. Ekitike can play on the left - and may have to do so if Alexander Isak is fit enough - but his nature is still a fast number 9, the type of striker that Liverpool used to love.
Ekitike is also changing recent habits at Anfield. "I really want to become the club's top scorer" - he said. With 15 goals, almost double the number of goals scored by the second highest scorer, that goal is not far away. And if that happens, this will be a significant turning point when Liverpool has not finished the season with a center forward at the top of the scoring list for a long time.
That statistic reflects Salah's influence, and also shows the philosophy of Jurgen Klopp's time - where Roberto Firmino played the role of false number 9, while the wings were the main source of goals.
After Salah's era, the "Reds" may have to learn a part of the "old trick". Torres is most sublimated when Gerrard is behind, in Rafa Benitez's 4-4-1-1 counter-attacking system. Of course, Arne Slot can hardly return to that prototype when he prefers wing players, and Wirtz may also be stretched in matches that require an additional central midfielder.
But in the match against Newcastle, Wirtz played as number 10 and he himself assisted Ekitike to equalize. The two have assisted each other six times this season and have begun to form clear understanding.
Ekitike made an immediate impact, while Wirtz started slower, especially in scoring. He has gone through a 23-match goalless streak, but since December 20, 2025 has had 6 goals and 3 assists in all competitions. Ekitike's speed is the perfect piece for a good passer player like Wirtz, and Wirtz himself admitted "he is really unbelievable".
Liverpool understands that they have bought the right class. Wirtz was once a target of Man City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Ekitike is also in Newcastle and Man United's sights. After a few months, a feeling is becoming increasingly clear as Liverpool are owning a duo for the future.
However, if Ekitike evokes the image of Torres, then the current Liverpool is still different from the old Liverpool in two points.
First, Slot does not nail the structure like Benitez did with Gerrard on the number 10 shoulder. He can change, and Wirtz is sometimes still pulled to the wing.
Second, the big question lies in how Alexander Isak integrates when in good form. He has not created a similar understanding with Ekitike or Wirtz, partly because he has too little playing time and the training pace is interrupted. In some ways, Isak is easily associated with the Torres version at Chelsea - a record contract that once caused great disappointment.
