Awoniyi’s red-hot streak continues & Ejaria gets his first goal – Liverpool FC Loan Watch

February 25, 2019
Ben Twelves

Liverpool’s loanees enjoyed another productive weekend of action, with two Reds scoring goals and another providing an assist.

After a quiet spell the borrowed Reds were back to form with a bang over the weekend.

Nine loanees played as injury, going unused and Monday night games meant several Reds didn’t play.

Danny Ings missed out through injury—and will do for a few more weeks—with Adam Bogdan and Sheyi Ojo forming the unused duo.

Meanwhile, Pedro Chirivella‘s spell at Segunda Division side Extremadura has ended before it even started, with the Spaniard officially unable to play due to registration problems.

Loris Karius, Harry Wilson and Anderson Arroyo could all be in action on Monday night for their respective sides.

The lack of action did nothing to slow down the impressive form though, with two Reds scoring and another providing an assist.

Here’s the full lowdown on all that happened.

Another game, another goal for red-hot Awoniyi…

It’s safe to say Taiwo Awoniyi is well and truly back to his best.

The Nigerian’s electric run in front of goal continued on Saturday night with another winner which gave Mouscron a 1-0 victory over Lokeren.

It was Awoniyi’s fifth goal in six games and his third match-winning effort since returning to the club, making for an incredible run of form which also includes two assists.

After a goalless first half, Awoniyi struck the winner just a minute into the second period, smashing home a clinical finish at the back post from a corner.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuQcTaqh-Ta/

It is hard to believe the transformation in the 21-year-old after a difficult and confidence-draining spell at KAA Gent in the first half of the season.

Awoniyi deserves immense credit for showing such maturity to bounce back so strongly and return to doing what he does best: scoring goals.

Ejaria was also on the scoresheet…

After making a great start to life at Reading with an assist on his full debut, Ovie Ejaria has endured a frustrating few weeks with illness and injury disrupting his rhythm.

But the creative midfielder was back to his best on Saturday as he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with Rotherham.

Ejaria, playing as part of a midfield three with license to break forward, opened the scoring with a fantastic effort.

After a brilliantly orchestrated move playing from the back, a cross from the left fell kindly to Ejaria inside the box and he struck an instinctive half-volley into the far top corner.

The 21-year-old almost doubled his tally with a wonder goal in the second half, but dragged his shot wide after a dazzling run which saw him leave half of the Rotherham team trailing.

It was great to see Ejaria back in top form after a stop-start period and hopefully he can rediscover his rhythm to enjoy a strong end to the season.

Kent delivered another assist…

Since the turn of the year Ryan Kent has been in great form for Rangers, and he impressed again as the Gers recorded back-to-back 5-0 wins by thrashing Hamilton on Sunday.

Kent claimed an assist in the demolition—his second of the week having done the same as the Gers hammered Kilmarnock by the same scoreline in the Scottish Cup in midweek.

This time, he delivered the assist for his side’s first goal of the afternoon, scored by Ryan Jack after 16 minutes.

It was one of the 22-year-old’s more simple assists of the season, as he rolled the ball inside to Jack who sent a nice curling effort into the far corner.

That’s four assists and two goals since the season resumed and Kent is on course for an electric second half of the campaign.

Six more Reds featured and one loanee debuted …

#BANxFLU |0-2|?2T – 32' – Substituição no Tricolor:
? Everaldo
? Allan#VamosFluzão pic.twitter.com/Gje5xRnvmZ

— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) February 23, 2019

Allan Rodrigues got his sixth loan away from Anfield up and running as he made his first outing for Fluminense.

The midfielder made his bow as a second-half substitute during a 2-0 win over Bangu, playing the final 15 minutes of the victory.

Having produced a tidy cameo, Allan will be determined to build quickly to ensure this latest loan move back to his homeland proves a rewarding one after several frustrating spells.

Marko Grujic faced his toughest test of the season on Saturday as Hertha Berlin locked horns with Liverpool’s Champions League opponents, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena.

Unfortunately, his side suffered a narrow 1-0 loss, which was only the second league defeat the Serbian has suffered this season—coming after 23 games.

Grujic gave a good account of himself against arguably the best team he will face while at Hertha, with his quality and composure on the ball particularly impressive.

Kamil Grabara’s unbeaten run in goal for AGF Aarhus came to an end.

After back-to-back league wins and clean sheets, the Pole conceded his first league goals and suffered his maiden loss in a 2-1 defeat to Midtjylland on Sunday.

Back on home soil three loanees were in action.

Nathaniel Clyne continues as Bournemouth’s first-choice right-back and played his fifth full game in the Premier League in the Cherries’ 1-1 draw against Wolves on Saturday.

Clyne was in solid form, turning in a typically reliable defensive performance in the stalemate.

Herbie Kane remains a mainstay of Doncaster’s midfield and made his 38th appearance of the season as he played all 90 minutes of a derby-day 1-1 draw against Scunthorpe.

Finally, the wait for a first start at Kilmarnock goes on for academy striker Liam Millar.

The youngster had to settle for another late sub appearance—his fifth since joining the Scottish Premiership club—in a 1-0 loss to Livingston on Saturday, playing only the closing stages of the defeat.