Florian Wirtz went from going two months without a goal contribution for Liverpool to registering two assists in the space of four minutes tonight.
The German playmaker had shipped some criticism for his perceived lack of impact in the final third since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but it certainly hasn’t been for the want of trying from the Reds’ number 7.
Patience has paid off for the 22-year-old, who set up Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai to score in quick succession in the second half against Eintracht Frankfurt as Arne Slot’s side ended their four-game losing streak with an emphatic 5-1 victory.
McCoist hails ‘top-class’ Wirtz assist
Liverpool were 3-1 to the good when, in the 66th minute, Wirtz latched onto the Hungarian’s through ball and played an inch-perfect first-time cross to the Dutch forward, who finished with ease from six yards out to dispel any lingering doubts there may have been about the result.
Speaking on co-commentary for TNT Sports, Ally McCoist swooned over the assist as he said: “The weight of that pass has to be top-class, and it is. It’s weighted perfectly. Anything other than that and Robin Koch can get across it or the goalkeeper can come out. The weight of the pass is great and the finish is excellent.”
Hopefully Wirtz can build on tonight’s excellent performance
In recent days, Arne Slot pleaded for patience with Wirtz by pointing to the example of how Kevin De Bruyne didn’t set the world alight initially in English football before going on to become one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever players.
Liverpool’s number 7 obviously has a way to go before replicating the Belgian’s impact, but tonight he showed why the Reds made him their first £100m+ player when signing him during the summer.
His wait for a goal goes on, but he finally saw his majestic build-up play rewarded in the form of two assists in Frankfurt, and Sky Sports‘ Clinton Morrison rightly hailed him as an ‘intelligent player’ in lauding the pass for Gakpo to make it 4-1.
The key for Wirtz now will be to build on this performance and consistently make an impact for LFC in the final third of the pitch.
On this evidence, though, we’ve every confidence that the 22-year-old will continue to excel for Liverpool throughout the rest of the season!
You can view Wirtz’s assist for Gakpo below, via @footballontnt on X:
Florian Wirtz puts it on a plate for Cody Gakpo to make it 4-1 to Liverpool 🌟@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/rgneJSzRYf
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2025