LIVERPOOL, England :Liverpool manager Arne Slot blasted Hugo Ekitike for a stupid sending-off after tapping home a winner against Southampton in the League Cup on Tuesday and then removing his shirt in celebration.
The Frenchman, who replaced record signing Alexander Isak at halftime, had been booked already for kicking the ball away in frustration and the second yellow five minutes from time left Liverpool defending a 2-1 third-round lead with 10 men.
Liverpool captain Andy Robertson told Sky Sports television it was a stupid thing to do when on a yellow card and Slot doubled down afterwards.
“I think it’s also stupid if you haven’t had a yellow card yet,” he said.
“Maybe I’m a bit old-fashioned, maybe a bit old school, but I did score a few goals – not at this level – as well and if I maybe outplay three players, which I never did, and then hit it in the top corner, then maybe you can say ‘oh, this is all about me.’
“But if I had to score a goal like he did tonight, I would have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and would say ‘It’s all about you, Federico. Great assist, great run and I didn’t have to do a lot’.
“It was stupid, not smart in every sense… he’s now suspended for Saturday and that is far from ideal.”
Ekitike later apologised on Instagram: “The emotion got the better of me tonight,” he said. “My apologies to all the Red family…”
League leaders Liverpool, with a 100 per cent record so far this season, have a tricky away trip to unbeaten Crystal Palace next in the league.
Slot fielded a completely changed starting lineup on Tuesday from the side that played Everton on Saturday, with Isak starting and scoring his first goal for the club.
“It wasn’t our best performance, which probably has a lot to do with players that haven’t played for a long time or for the first time,” he said.
The manager said Isak would get increasing game time, with Liverpool trying to build him up faster than usual, but did not expect him to be fully up to speed until after the next international break.
