Hugo Ekitike suffers a suspected Achilles rupture in Liverpool’s Champions League defeat

Last Updated on 14 April 2026

Hugo Ekitike’s night, and possibly his season, ended in the cruelest fashion on Tuesday. The French forward limped off Anfield just 31 minutes into Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

As per early reports, it seems like a suspected Achilles tendon rupture. It was the defining image of another dreadful evening on Merseyside.

PSG ran out 2-0 winners on the night, 4-0 on aggregate, ending Liverpool’s European campaign and heaping fresh pressure on Arne Slot.

Ekitike’s night ends in agony as suspected Achilles injury puts World Cup in doubt

Hugo Ekitike has been one of Liverpool’s brightest sparks this season: a dynamic, powerful presence up front. That makes Tuesday’s news all the more devastating. The 22-year-old went down without contact and immediately signalled to the bench.

According to online The Independent, it seems like an Achilles rupture. It is one of football’s most brutal injuries. Recovery typically takes nine to twelve months. For Ekitike, that means missing the rest of this season and likely a significant chunk of the next.

Liverpool replaced him before half-time, but the damage, emotional and tactical, was already done. For the club, they crashed out of the Champions League to PSG, but for Ekitike, the injury also puts his participation in the upcoming World Cup in doubt.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool crumble again as PSG seal comfortable Anfield win

This was not a shock. PSG had already won the first leg 2-0 in Paris. Liverpool needed a miracle at Anfield. They didn’t get one. PSG scored through clinical goals in the 72nd and 90th minutes. The scoreline was flattering to Liverpool.

Slot’s record in 2025/26 makes grim reading. This defeat, Liverpool’s 18th of the season in all competitions, exposes a team in serious decline. The numbers are damning. They’ve now lost four of their last six matches.

They look disjointed, uncertain of their identity, and desperately short of ideas in the final third. The problems run deeper than the result. Slot’s consistently failed to get his best players performing at their peak simultaneously. His in-game management raises questions too.

Liverpool made four substitutions between the 46th and 67th minutes: a reactive, desperate set of changes that suggested no clear plan. PSG, in contrast, were composed and controlled with just 43% of the ball.

Liverpool’s season has unravelled badly. A Champions League exit at the quarter-final stage, 18 defeats, and a fanbase running out of patience. Slot must answer serious questions this summer: about his system, his management, and whether he is the right man for this job.