Florian Wirtz helped Liverpool FC to an important victory in the “German duel” of the Premier League. The Reds won 4-1 (2-1) against Newcastle United with national players Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw. Wirtz impressed with a magical assist and a goal and, together with double packer Hugo Ekitiké, was the decisive man of the evening. With the win, Liverpool, fifth in the table, has their sights firmly set on the Champions League places.
After Anthony Gordon gave Newcastle the lead (36′), Wirtz initiated the turnaround with a special moment: the 22-year-old got the ball in the penalty area, dribbled past two opponents and kept track of former Frankfurt player Ekitiké, who equalized and shortly afterwards took the lead (41’/43′). After the break, Wirtz scored himself to make it 3-1 (67th). Ibrahima Konaté made the final score (90+3).
Wirtz is thus continuing its upward trend and, after a weak start to the season, now has 14 goal involvements across all competitions. Woltemade, on the other hand, had to make do with the bench again and was only substituted on in the 73rd minute. The DFB striker has been waiting for a goal for more than a month and a total of eleven games.
Double blow for Liverpool
With Thiaw in the starting line-up, Newcastle got off to a better start in the fast-paced game. Lewis Hall initially failed to hit the post (26′), Gordon hit the ball low into the left corner after a counterattack.
Liverpool didn’t let that deter them. Wirtz’s brilliant preparatory work and the energetic Ekitiké changed the game. After the Frenchman only had to push in to equalize, he left Thiaw standing 138 seconds later and caused ecstasy at Anfield Road.
The spectacle continued after the break. Ekitiké missed the hat-trick (51′), Harvey Barnes (60′) equalized. After a lay-up by Mohamed Salah, Wirtz carefully scored from 14 meters to make the preliminary decision, and Konaté eliminated any last doubts.
