First big surprise of the season in England. This Sunday, Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace during the Community Shield in Wembley. The Reds lost on penalties (2-2 / 3-2 at TAB).
For his first tenure in an official match with the Mersey club, Hugo Ekitike distinguished himself by opening the scoring but especially by making a full match on all plans. The Frenchman was a real danger to the opposing defense.
A performance that was greeted by his coach Arne Slot who did not hesitate to send him pretty words despite the surprise defeat of his team. “It's always nice to score a goal, not only for him, but also for Jeremie Frimpong, especially when you start in a new club. But it would have been even better to win the match, because I think it is more important than scoring a goal. That said, Hugo brought danger. But it is also an example of a player who arrived, I believe, two weeks ago, at the end of our tour in Asia, ” he said at a press conference.
Before continuing: “So for me, with only three or four days between Friday's match and this one, it would not have been intelligent to leave it 90 minutes on the field. We had Federico Chiesa on the bench, but he was not with us either during the Asian tour. So we didn't have many solutions to replace it. And if he was injured at that time of the season, we would have taken a big risk for the matches to come against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal. That's why I took it out. But he made a good game today (Sunday), that's for sure. »»
Rebound expected against Bournemouth
Surprised by Crystal Palace this Sunday, Liverpool does not ideally start his season. Scousers will have to bounce back next weekend at the start of the Premier League. The defending England champions will receive the Bournemouth club in Anfield as part of the first day.
An already precious match not to let doubt settle in the heads. Scorer and efficient against Palace, Hugo Ekitike should unless surprise be renewed in Arne Slot's departure 11. Business to follow …
