Hugo Ekitike was sent off under unusual circumstances during Liverpool’s EFL Cup victory over Southampton on Tuesday night. The Reds struggled for much of the match, and it seemed likely the game would be decided by penalties after Alexander Isak’s early goal was equalized by Shea Charles.
However, Liverpool took the lead again with five minutes left, thanks to Ekitike—who had come on at halftime to replace Isak—slotting home following some impressive work from Federico Chiesa.
Despite the late goal, the closing moments were tense for Liverpool as Ekitike was shown a second yellow card and sent off for his celebrations. After scoring, the French forward took off his shirt and showed it to the crowd, which resulted in the second booking and his dismissal.
Liverpool held on to win 2-1, securing a place in the competition’s fourth round. Ekitike will now face a one-match suspension and will miss the upcoming Premier League game against Crystal Palace, giving Isak the chance to start his first league match of the season.
After the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his frustration with Ekitike’s red card. The Dutch coach was visibly annoyed and openly criticized his player.
“It was unnecessary and foolish. The first booking was needless, and the second even more so—you have to control your emotions,” Slot told Sky Sports.
“I explained to him that if you scored a late winner in the Champions League final after outplaying multiple defenders, maybe it’s understandable. But he was focused on himself, not the team.
“I’m old-fashioned at 47, never played at this level, but if I scored a goal like that, I would have immediately praised Federico Chiesa and said the goal was thanks to him.
“It’s always best to manage your emotions. If you can’t, at least do it without risking a yellow card.”
Captain Andy Robertson also criticized Ekitike’s actions: “I’d be very surprised if he repeats it.
“Scoring is always emotional, but he clearly forgot himself. The first booking was stupid, and two careless yellows mean we’ll miss him for Saturday. It was foolish on his part. He’ll learn from it and hopefully won’t make the same mistake again.”
Leave a Reply