Ekitike brace takes Liverpool to first Premier League win of 2026 as Reds beat Newcastle 4-1

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike struck twice in two minutes to give Arne Slot’s side a 4-1 comeback win over Newcastle United on Saturday, marking the champions’ first Premier League win in more than a month.

Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima ‌Konate scored in the second half to help Liverpool climb to fifth place with 39 points, 14 behind leaders Arsenal, while Newcastle fell to 10th on 33.

Newcastle started brightly with Anthony Gordon scoring his first league goal in open play in over a year in the 36th minute as the visiting fans saw a first win at Anfield since 1994.

However, the optimism was short-lived as Ekitike turned the match on its head with goals in the 41st and 43rd minutes.

Ekitike scored with a drive to the near post after Wirtz worked the ball into the penalty area before pulling it back for the Frenchman, who then grabbed a ball along the line from Milos Kerkez and poked it into the far corner to put the hosts ahead.

Wirtz struck in the 67th minute with a shot from the far post after a one-two with Mohamed. Salah and Konate scored deep into injury time to complete the rout.

Konate, whose father died this month, missed two games to attend his father’s funeral. But after his goal he was moved to tears and harassed by his teammates.

«I know the team had some injured players, and the manager told me to take my time and not to rush back,» Konate said. “It was important for me to come back and help the team.”

Slot’s team had not won a league match in their previous five attempts but were hoping that Champions League victories over the past two weeks – including Wednesday’s 6-0 defeat to Qarabag – could turn around the league’s fortunes.

“The 15 minutes before half time it was a great combination with the players showing what they showed and the fans being so loud,” Slot said.

“At half-time we suddenly led 2-1 and in the second half we had more than enough chances to get to 3-1 earlier, but in the end 4-1 is a nice victory for us.”

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was unsurprisingly disappointed with the result. «I thought it was a strong performance. 4-1 is very difficult for us,» he said. “We scored a great goal and started very strongly.

Published on February 1, 2026