Forget Wirtz: Liverpool’s relentless 33-touch star had game-defining moment to put Reds 1-0 up vs Burnley

Hugo Ekitike deserves a great deal of credit for his role in creating a goalscoring opportunity for Florian Wirtz.

His German teammate saw Liverpool go 1-0 up against Burnley after Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty struck the upright in the first half.

A win against the Clarets would see Arne Slot’s men leapfrog Manchester United and return to the top four spots on 38 points after 22 Premier League games played.

Hugo Ekitike’s run to create Florian Wirtz chance was special

Hugo Ekitike beat one man before taking the ball to the outside of the 18-yard box and rounding Axel Tuanzebe to make a driving run towards goal.

MORE FROM LIVERPOOL VS BURNLEY: Liverpool’s 8/10 creative monster had an even better first half than Florian Wirtz vs Burnley

Martin Dubravka parried what appeared to be a pass played into a dangerous area, and Curtis Jones saw that the loose ball found its way to the feet of an unmarked Wirtz.

And 1-0 Liverpool it was.

You can catch footage of Hugo Ekitike’s run below, courtesy of NBC Sports (via @HekitikeEra on X):

Wirtz worldie, but huge credit to Ekitike for the build-up. pic.twitter.com/NUZ3j8so3G

— H (@HekitikeEra) January 17, 2026

What do the stats say about Ekitike’s performances vs Burnley

With the game at the hour mark, Ekitike was sitting on the second-weakest rating from Fotmob for Arne Slot’s starting-XI.

Of course, this is where raw statistics can fall short of the eye test, given the former Frankfurt striker played a prominent role in creating Liverpool’s opening goal.

The 23-year-old registered five shots (two on target), racking up a non-penalty xG of 0.23 (at the time of writing).

Hugo Ekitike stats vs Burnley
33 touches
13/17 accurate passes (76%)
0.23 non-penalty xG
2/5 shots on target
9 touches in opposition box
2/5 successful dribbles
1 recovery
2/8 ground duels won

* Hugo Ekitike’s stats against Burnley in the Premier League (Fotmob)

More of the same, please, from two of Liverpool’s most important players at this point in time.

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The post Forget Wirtz: Liverpool’s relentless 33-touch star had game-defining moment to put Reds 1-0 up vs Burnley appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.