Liverpool boss Arne Slot slams 'stupid' Hugo Ekitike's 'needless' red card against Southampton
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Arne Slot was critical of Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike after his late red card for removing his shirt against Southampton.
French forward Ekitike had replaced Alexander Isak at half-time and after tapping home the winner with five minutes remaining, he took off his shirt as he ran toward the corner flag.
Referee Thomas Bramall immediately showed Ekitike his second yellow.
He will now miss Liverpool's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Reds head coach Slot said: "The first one (yellow card) was already needless and to a certain extent stupid because you have to control your emotions.
I know how hard it is if you play in the Premier League and you are a number nine then the defender can almost do everything he wants, and when you push him a little bit you get a free-kick against you.
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"But it is always the best to control your emotions, and if you can't then do it in a way that doesn't lead to a yellow card.
"So I think I said when I got my red card against Everton that's always stupid because you can show your emotions.
"But if it leads to a yellow or red then it's, to a certain extent, stupid.
"Then I told him that if you score in a Champions League final in the 87th minute after beating three players and hitting it in the top corner I can maybe understand you say: 'It's all about me'.
"But I'm old fashioned, I'm 47, I'm old, and I haven't played at this level but I did score a few goals, and if I scored a goal like this I would have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and say: 'This goal is all about you, this is not about me'.
"So, yeah, needless, not smart, you call it stupid and I call it stupid."
Andy Robertson, who was captaining Liverpool in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, said: "I'd be very surprised if he does it again.
"I think scoring a goal is always emotional and you always get that emotion, but he's obviously just forgot he's been booked.
"His first one is stupidity, kicking the ball away, we know the rules around that.
"Two silly bookings to pick up and now we miss him for Saturday, so it's silly from his part.
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"But he's only young and he will learn from it."