Liverpool manager Arne Slot was left furious with striker Hugo Ekitike after the forward picked up what the Dutch coach branded a “stupid” red card in a Carabao Cup game against Southampton.
Ekitike, who joined Liverpool during the summer window, was sent off in the second half of the game when he took off his jersey after he scored five minutes from time to put Liverpool ahead.
The talented French striker’s dismissal came at a critical stage of the match, derailing Liverpool’s momentum and forcing Slot to reshuffle his tactics to salvage the game.
“Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and to a certain extent, stupid, as you have got to control your emotions,” said Slot.
“I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner, I can maybe understand. He is like, ‘This is all about me, what did I do’.
“But I am old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old. I never played at this level but did score a few goals and if I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me’.
“It’s always the best to control your emotions. If you can’t, do it in a way that doesn’t lead to a yellow card.”
Ekitike apologised for his dismissal, saying emotion got the better of him.
He posted on Instagram: “I was so excited tonight to help the team achieve another victory here in our home for my first Carabao Cup match… The emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family.”
