Hugo Ekitiké needed just one shot, a few prods of the ball and 228 seconds to score his first competitive goal for Liverpool.

The Merseyside contingent had scarcely stopped booing the national anthem played ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield by the time Liverpool’s summer recruit popped up on the edge of the box. After exchanging passes with fellow debutant Florian Wirtz, Ekitiké received the ball again, contorting his hulking frame away from Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Chris Richards to find just enough room for a drilled shot which nestled in the bottom corner.

As Dean Henderson lay sprawled on his back, the clock read 3 minutes and 48 seconds. Daniel Sturridge had held the previous record for the fastest Liverpool debut goal after the Second World War, finding the back of the net in the seventh minute of an FA Cup third-round win over Mansfield Town in 2013.

To find the last player to score a quicker debut goal for the Reds than Ekitiké, you have to wind the tape back 97 years. On Aug. 25, 1928, Billy Millar broke the deadlock for his new employers against Bury in the opening minute. Millar doubled his tally in the second half yet would never score for Liverpool again.

In fairness to Millar, he was only afforded two more senior appearances for Liverpool. The Northern Irish forward struggled with injuries before moving to Barrow in 1930, where he would rediscover his clinical edge and break into the international setup.

Ekitiké, who cost considerably more than the £1,150 Liverpool paid for Millar, will certainly hope to enjoy a far longer career on Merseyside. If his first few outings in a Liverpool kit are anything to go by, that shouldn’t be hard to achieve.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hugo Ekitike Shatters Post-War Liverpool Record With Stunning Debut Goal.

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