You could say Hugo Ekitiké was the one who got away from Newcastle last summer, except there were so many. But with a certain inevitability and a devastating, gamechanging performance, the Liverpool striker haunted Eddie Howe and the club who coveted him all the same.
Pain came in various forms for Newcastle. Superior for 40 minutes and deservedly ahead through Anthony Gordon, the visitors trailed at the interval thanks to a quick-fire brace from the player they tried to sign from Eintracht Frankfurt. Liverpool swept in for Ekitiké instead and their initial £69m outlay, rising to £79m, is proving money very well spent.
