With both Salah and Alexander Isak starting on the bench, Ekitike remained Liverpool's lead striker and showed once again why he has been one of their bright sparks in a difficult campaign. His goalscoring instincts were evident within seconds of the start - a thunderous finish past Verbruggen - and caused numerous problems for Brighton with his

Hugo Ekitike scored twice as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday. Mohamed Salah also made an impact after coming off the bench to replace the injured Joe Gomez. The Egypt international,

Liverpool made it back-to-back wins as Hugo Ekitike was the star man for the Reds as they clinched a comfortable 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. The France international netted in both halves as Arne Slot’s men extended their unbeaten run to five games.

Danny Murphy discusses Liverpool's "shining light" Hugo Ekitike after the French striker's brace secures win against Brighton.

Hugo Ekitike reflected on a 3-3 draw for Liverpool against Leeds United at Elland Road.

For the fifth Liverpool game in a row, Mohamed Salah isn't in the starting eleven. There's no room for Alexander Isak either as Florian Wirtz is back in, with Hugo Ekitike starting up top as Arne Slot makes two changes from the side that won in Milan.

Liverpool seek to reignite their season when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield this weekend. BBC Sport explores the key themes surrounding this fixture. The debate around Mohamed Salah and his Liverpool future has raged for the past week on every major media outlet.