Shameless Richarlison Antics Leave Liverpool Paying the Price
Whenever Richarlison lines up against Liverpool, drama is almost guaranteed.
The Tottenham forward is no stranger to controversy in fixtures involving the Reds, most notably when he pulled out his pigeon celebration after a stoppage-time equaliser at Anfield in April 2023—only for Diogo Jota to score moments later at the other end, prompting a memorable social media jibe from Jamie Carragher.
Fast forward to tonight, and the former Everton striker was introduced from the bench with Spurs 2–0 down to Arne Slot’s Liverpool and just 10 minutes left on the clock. Predictably, he wasted no time making his presence felt.
Just three minutes after coming on, Richarlison capitalised on Liverpool’s failure to clear a corner, pouncing on a loose ball inside the penalty area to score and spark what can only be described as a chaotic finale in north London. But his behaviour immediately after the goal drew plenty of attention for all the wrong reasons.
Rather than sprinting back for the restart, the 28-year-old shoved Hugo Ekitike in the back of the neck while the Frenchman lay face-down on the turf, before charging over to Dominik Szoboszlai and screaming in the midfielder’s face. Astonishingly, it was Liverpool’s number 8 who ended up being shown a yellow card by referee John Brooks—his fifth of the Premier League campaign.
That booking means Szoboszlai will now miss next weekend’s clash with Wolves, a huge blow at a time when Liverpool are already stretched thin. Mohamed Salah is away at AFCON, while Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez are sidelined with injuries. Conor Bradley appeared to pick up a knock before half-time, and Alexander Isak was forced off after taking a heavy challenge from Micky van de Ven while scoring Liverpool’s opener.
Richarlison’s strained relationship with Liverpool supporters is well documented, from his odd comments about Virgil van Dijk to his immature social media behaviour following the Reds’ Champions League final defeat in 2022. Even so, his conduct after scoring tonight was indefensible.
Why provoke Ekitike and Szoboszlai at a moment when Liverpool were vulnerable, instead of simply getting the game restarted? To top it off, the Brazilian still managed to get himself booked for dissent at the final whistle—hardly a surprise.
Ultimately, though, Liverpool had the final say. A 2–1 victory ensured Richarlison was left frustrated once again, as the Reds briefly climbed into the Premier League’s top five.