Hugo Ekitike gives perfect response to stunning Liverpool win at Everton

Liverpool travelled to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time on Sunday afternoon and were 1-0 up inside half an hour as Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in his last ever meeting with the Toffees as a Red.

David Moyes' side levelled things up through Beto in the 54th minute and 1-1 was how the match seemed destined to end. That was before captain Virgil van Dijk rose highest from a corner in the 100th minute and secured all three points for his Champions League qualification-chasing squad.

Arne Slot was without Ekitike for this match and he won't be able to call on the Frenchman for the rest of this campaign after his injury setback suffered in the 2-0 defeat to PSG. But that hasn't stopped Ekitike from wishing his colleagues the best for their Premier League run-in.

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Minutes after full-time in the derby, Ekitike re-posted his club's upload of the final result on Instagram and added five words of inspiration: "Massive one [loveheart emoji] keep going boysss."

Ekitike is set to undergo surgery for the Achilles injury he picked up in the Champions League, which meant he had to leave the pitch on a stretcher. This setback means that he will miss the upcoming World Cup and will not be able to represent France.

Speaking before the game against Everton, Slot touched on the devastating Achilles tendon rupture. He said: "He hasn't been operated on yet.

"Devastating for him coming to a new club and having so much impact straight away. Playing against your former club in the Champions League quarter-final with so much to come for him in the summer.

"First thoughts are with him being out for such a long time, missing out on so many special moments. Not the first and not the last player who experienced something like this at the start of their career.

"So many examples of players coming back even stronger. He will be one of those who say maybe this injury makes me even stronger and more ready to play at an even higher level."

Ekitike broke his silence on social media after his club confirmed he would miss the World Cup. He posted: "It's hard, maybe even unfair.

"But I'm grateful this is happening to me here, among you. I'm not alone. Your strength and your love will be my driving force. See you again soon, Anfield."

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