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THE SHOCK REASON HUGO EKITIKE WAS SUDDENLY DROPPED FROM THE LIVERPOOL SQUAD TODAY

Hugo Ekitike is a shock absentee for Liverpool! Discover how Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz will lead the attack against Fulham.

The shock reason Hugo Ekitike was suddenly dropped from the Liverpool squad today
Ekitike misses out with an injury.

Liverpool’s lineup is set for their Premier League game against Fulham at Craven Cottage, and there are a few changes.

First off, Hugo Ekitike misses out. He started the 0-0 draw with Leeds on New Year’s Day and has scored 11 goals this season, but he picked up a minor injury. So, he doesn’t even make the squad for this one, and Cody Gakpo steps in to take his place up front.

Florian Wirtz, who’s been nursing a hamstring problem, had to come off during the Leeds match to manage his minutes. He’s fit enough now, though, and starts against Fulham.

Liverpool is already without Alexander Isak through injury and Mohamed Salah, who’s away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt. Now, with Ekitike sidelined too, Arne Slot’s options up front are looking pretty thin.

Ekitike has scored eight goals in eighteen league matches, though he hasn’t found the net in his last two games against Wolves and Leeds. Before that, he was on a hot streak with five goals in three matches.

So, Gakpo will lead the line in West London, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz supporting him. Liverpool is going into this match without a traditional striker.

Gakpo’s one of three changes to the starting eleven. Milos Kerkez and Alexis Mac Allister also come in, while Jeremie Frimpong and Andrew Robertson drop to the bench.

Joe Gomez is back in the matchday squad after missing three games with a muscle injury. He’s among the substitutes and could feature if needed.

Liverpool wants to bounce back after that goalless draw with Leeds and stretch their seven-game unbeaten run in the league, even without Ekitike.

Here’s how they’ll line up: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Wirtz.

On the bench: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Gomez, Chiesa, Robertson, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ramsay, and Ngumoha.

FABRIZIO ROMANO CONFIRMS MLS AND SAUDI INTEREST IN MOHAMED SALAH FOR 2026

Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool this summer! Discover the Saudi and MLS interest plus the Reds' £26m bid for Charlie Cresswell.

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Mohamed Salah Summer Exit?

Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool is still up in the air. Now, there’s a new club in the mix, while Liverpool is also being linked with a surprise move for a former Leeds United defender who left Elland Road for just £3.8 million.

Liverpool haven’t had the best season, but they’re still battling for a Champions League spot. Right now, they’re sixth in the Premier League, just three points off the top four. It’s always felt like a season of change at Anfield. The club dropped close to £450 million on new players, and a few big names are hitting the tail end of their careers.

Salah, now 33, is easily one of Liverpool’s all-time greats. But let’s be honest, he hasn’t looked himself this season. Even though he’s under contract until 2027, there’s a real chance he could leave this summer.

Fabrizio Romano, who’s usually spot-on with transfer news, just gave an update on Salah. More than one club wants him, and Al-Ittihad, who’ve chased him before, are still interested. On his YouTube channel, Romano said, “Clubs from Saudi Arabia will be back for Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window. They’re going to be back in conversations. Al-Ittihad could be one of them.”

Al-Ittihad just lost stars like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté. They didn’t have time to bring in another big name in January, even though they signed some good players. You get the sense that they’re still looking for a marquee signing, and Salah’s name keeps coming up.

Romano also mentioned that MLS clubs could try to lure Salah to the US. He said, “I’m told that there could be more Saudi clubs attentive and keen on Mohamed Salah. Let’s also see from the MLS if some club decided to enter the conversation and sign Mohamed Salah from Liverpool.”

He called it “an interesting summer ahead” for the Egyptian winger. So far, there haven’t been any official offers, so Salah stayed at Liverpool. But this summer? Who knows? Things could change fast.

Adding to the drama, Egyptian journalist Ismael Mahmoud says Al-Qadisiyah, another Saudi club, is likely to go after Salah too. So expect this story to keep growing.

On another front, Liverpool just agreed on a £60 million deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, who’ll be joining next season. But apparently, they want even more options at the back. Virgil van Dijk is now 34, Ibrahima Konate’s contract runs out soon, and Joe Gomez can’t seem to stay fit. Arne Slot clearly wants to strengthen his defence.

Now, reports say Liverpool are eyeing Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell. He moved from Leeds for £3.8 million in the summer of 2024. The Reds are supposedly preparing a bid of over €30 million (about £26 million), hoping that’ll be enough to convince Toulouse to sell.

West Ham tried to sign Cresswell back in January, so they might jump back in, and Tottenham, Chelsea, and Brighton are also watching closely.

Cresswell only played 14 times for Leeds, but he’s racked up 56 appearances for Toulouse, with seven goals and four assists – not bad for a centre-back.

STADIUM OF LIGHT STUNNED: VIRGIL VAN DIJK HEADER ENDS SUNDERLAND’S UNBEATEN HOME RECORD

Liverpool ends Sunderland's unbeaten home record: Virgil van Dijk scores as the Reds move closer to Champions League spots.

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Virgil van Dijk's header sinks Sunderland as Liverpool close gap

Arne Slot says he’s not worried about his job depending on Liverpool making the Champions League this spring, but let’s be honest, he’d rather not find out the hard way.

From what we saw here, he probably won’t have to. Liverpool finally snapped Sunderland’s unbeaten home run in the Premier League this season. Now they’re just three points behind Manchester United in fourth and two behind Chelsea in fifth. Things are heating up.

Régis Le Bris’s Sunderland side put up a real fight. They’re smart, well-drilled, and hard to break down. Still, with Florian Wirtz running the show and growing in confidence, Liverpool edged it. Virgil van Dijk’s header from Mo Salah’s corner did the trick. The only sour note for Slot? Wataru Endo picked up a nasty-looking ankle injury.

The game started sslowly Both teams looked pretty cautious, especially with the rain hammering down at the Stadium of Light. No one wanted to make an early mistake, so the first half felt tense and cagey.

Liverpool had plenty of the ball but kept running into Sunderland’s organised defence. Around the half-hour mark, Wirtz finally broke through, taking a pass from Alex Mac Allister, settling himself, and firing from the edge of the box. Robin Roefs saved that one, then breathed a sigh of relief moments later when another Wirtz effort hit the post after Andy Robertson’s cross sliced open the defence.

Wirtz started pulling the strings more and more, and Salah kept giving Reinildo something to worry about. Le Bris had reason to look a bit nervous, but Sunderland weren’t just hanging on. Their attacking movement was tricky and unpredictable, and they stayed right in the contest.

Still, you could tell they missed their captain, Granit Xhaka. He’s usually their heartbeat, but with him out injured, Enzo Le Fée dropped back next to Noah Sadiki in midfield. Le Fée read the game beautifully and broke up attack after attack, just as Wirtz began showing why Slot wanted him from Leverkusen last summer.

Right before halftime, there was a brief VAR check for a possible penalty after Brian Brobbey tangled with Ibrahima Konaté in the box. Stockley Park saw nothing wrong, but Le Bris was clearly annoyed, waving at the referee about a shirt pull.

Maybe that frustration fired Sunderland up. They came out strong after the break, seeing more of the ball and making Liverpool look a bit sluggish. Passing was off, the tempo dropped, but Sunderland couldn’t really test Alisson except for a 25-yard blast from Trai Hume that whistled just wide.

Liverpool held out through a spell of heavy pressure almost as heavy as the rain pouring down outside. Dan Ballard made a crucial block to deny Wirtz, but you could feel a goal coming. And then it did: Salah whipped in a corner, Van Dijk powered in a header, and Habib Diarra helped it over the line.

There was a long delay after that as Endo went down in real pain, his ankle twisted badly. Medical staff gave him treatment, then stretchered him off. Joe Gomez came on to replace him. A rough end to Endo’s first Premier League start of the season.

After that, Konate handled Brobbey’s physical challenge, and Nordi Mukiele wasted Sunderland’s best late chance by firing wide after escaping Robertson. Le Bris threw on all his subs, but with Curtis Jones coming off the bench and helping Liverpool see things out, Slot’s team could finally relax. At the final whistle, they celebrated with hugs, some relief, some joy, and maybe a bit of hope for what’s next.

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