Wayne Rooney says Liverpool signed such an intelligent player who bamboozled Everton’s defence

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Liverpool took the Merseyside bragging rights with a derby victory over Everton this weekend, maintaining their perfect start to the Premier League season.

Arne Slot’s side secured their derby win thanks to first half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike.

After Gravenberch hooked an inventive finish over Jordan Pickford from Mohamed Salah’s chip into the box, then it fell to Ekitike to slot in the all-important second for Liverpool.

That goal came from slick play between Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szobozlai, before Gravenberch slipped in Ekitike to finish under Pickford. And former Everton striker Wayne Rooney was full of praise for that particular passage of play.

Wayne Rooney praises Hugo Ekitike movement during Liverpool win over Everton, ‘really clever’

Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney was analysing Ekitike’s goal and said: “For the second goal, when you look at the back line, they never get compact, they never push up together, and they never maintain a single line.

“Ekitike, in particular, is a good player – he’s really clever. He can see that the middle and goal are deeper. He knows he can stay in behind Michael Keane, and then Keane can’t get back. [James] Tarkowski doesn’t cover quickly enough.

“If you look at Tarkowski here, I think if he goes with his left leg, he could block the shot. Instead, he shortens his stride and goes with his right leg, which allows the shot to get through.

“And it’s a fantastic finish. From there, it becomes very difficult for the defence to recover. Some of the confusion also comes from Liverpool swapping positions a lot.”

Hugo Ekitike performance sends message to Arne Slot amid Alexander Isak fitness concerns

After starting for Liverpool for the first time last week against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, £125m signing Alexander Isak was dropped back to the bench against Everton.

Ekitike returned to the starting line-up as Arne Slot manages Isak’s fitness, and netted his fourth goal in seven appearances since his move from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer.

Slot has suggested he won’t change his formation to accommodate both Ekitike and Isak, potentially leaving the number nine position as a straight fight between the two forwards.

So the more Ekitike can prove himself in the time it takes Isak to get up to fitness, the better chance he has of keeping the shirt in the longer-run. And the movement between positions that Rooney alludes to could give him an advantage over his new teammate.