Liverpool coach Arne Slot harshly criticized Hugo Ekitike for an expulsion considered “silly” after the striker scored the win against Southampton at the League Cup on Tuesday and celebrating taking off his shirt.
The Frenchman, who entered the second half instead of the record reinforcement Alexander Isak, had already received a yellow card for kicking the ball in frustration. The second warning, five minutes before the end, left the.
Captain Andy Robertson told Sky Sports that Ekitike’s attitude was “a stupid thing to do with a yellow card,” and Slot reinforced the criticism:
“Maybe I’m a bit old, but if I had scored a goal as he did, I would have turned to Federico Chiesa and said ‘this is all about you, great assistance, great movement.’ It was stupid, not intelligent … Now he’s suspended for Saturday, which is far from ideal,” he said.
Ekitike apologized later on Instagram: “Emotion dominated me tonight. My apologies to the whole family Red …”.
Liverpool, leader of the championship with 100% success this season, now faces Crystal Palace, which has not yet lost, away from home.
Slot climbed a team totally different from what he had played against Everton on Saturday, starting and scoring his first goal for the club.
“It was not our best presentation, probably because of players who haven’t played for a long time or were playing for the first time,” said the coach. He further stated that Isak will have a gradual increase in minutes on the field, but does not expect the attacker to be fully adapted until after the next break on FIFA date.
