After a long wait and anticipation, Florian Wirtz finally contributed to a goal for Liverpool, providing two assists in the Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Wirtz is the second-largest signing in Premier League history, having been acquired by Liverpool last summer for €150 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
There were high hopes for Wirtz to be Liverpool’s star player, but in his first 10 matches in all competitions, he failed to score or assist a single goal.
With Liverpool’s four consecutive defeats over the past month, the pressure on Wirtz increased. However, Arne Slot renewed his confidence in him and started him against Frankfurt.
The German international returned the favor by assisting Cody Gakpo’s fourth goal, a brilliant low cross from the right flank, which the Dutchman followed into the Frankfurt net in the 66th minute.
Just four minutes later, Wirtz passed the ball to Dominik Szoboszlai outside the penalty area, and the Hungarian international scored the Reds’ fifth goal with an unstoppable low shot.
These two assists will undoubtedly reduce, albeit somewhat, the criticism directed at the 21-year-old Wirtz, and may be his true debut with Slot’s squad.
Wirtz is expected to feature in Liverpool’s next match, scheduled for Saturday against Brentford, hoping to make his domestic debut in the Reds’ shirt.
