“I was…” – Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike breaks silence on bizarre red card after Arne Slot criticism

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Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool's striker, apologized publicly after receiving a bizarre sending off in their 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Southampton on Tuesday night. The French forward, who had come on at half-time for Alexander Isak, scored the late winning goal in the 85th minute, marking his fifth goal in eight appearances since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for $93.5 million. However, after scoring, Ekitike was shown a second yellow card—and thus a red card—for removing his shirt in celebration, a decision that immediately triggered his suspension for the upcoming Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

Ekitike expressed remorse on Instagram shortly after the match, stating: "The emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family. Thanks to the fans who always support us and to my teammates who secured this victory!" His premature dismissal was met with visible disbelief on the pitch, including from teammate Jeremie Frimpong, and harsh criticism from pundits who called it a moment of "sheer stupidity."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot did not hesitate to call the sending off "stupid" and implied that Ekitike would face strong private reprimands alongside public dismay. The incident came despite Liverpool's strong performance, which featured another key goal from British record signing Alexander Isak, who scored his first Liverpool goal after a $170 million transfer from Newcastle. Southampton had briefly equalized through Shea Charles, threatening to take the game to penalties, but Liverpool maintained their reputation for late winning goals with Ekitike's decisive strike in the final 10 minutes.

The sending off means Ekitike will miss a crucial Premier League fixture, compounding the disappointment of his momentary lapse amid an otherwise promising start to his Liverpool career.

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