What games Hugo Ekitike will miss after Liverpool red card vs Southampton
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Hugo Ekitike will be hit with a suspension after his bizarre red card for Liverpool during the Carabao Cup win over Southampton on Tuesday.
The Frenchman struck late on to secure a 2-1 win for the Reds and send them through to the fourth round, with Arne Slot’s side set to discover their opponents in the next stage on Wednesday.
The winning moment though was spoiled somewhat by Ekitike being shown a second yellow card for his celebrations, resulting in him being sent off which will now have further ramifications for Liverpool as the Premier League leaders continue their title defense at the weekend.
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Having been shown a red card, Ekitike will now be suspended for the Reds’ trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, when they will be aiming to continue their perfect start to the season.
Individual suspensions - bans picked up for red cards or other misdemeanors during a game - carry over across all domestic competitions, unlike suspensions for cumulative yellow cards, which only apply to the competition they’re picked up in.
Ekitike’s ban will therefore be applied for his next domestic game, meaning he will miss the weekend’s league game at Palace, but will be available again for Liverpool’s fourth round tie next month.
Arne Slot gestures as Hugo Ekitike leaves the field after receiving a second yellow card from referee Thomas Bramall in Liverpool's win over Southampton
Giving his thoughts on Ekitike’s red card, Slot told ITV Sport: “I didn’t really understand it
“Maybe I’m a bit old-fashioned and old school, but if I would have scored a goal after going past three men and then hit it into the top corner, I would maybe celebrate it completely by myself, but if I got an assist like that from Federico Chiesa, I would have probably turned around and pointed at him like ‘you’ve made this whole goal for me’.
“That’s why I was a bit surprised how he celebrated it, and then even worse took his shirt off and got a second yellow.
“I think it’s always stupid to take your shirt off and take a yellow, because if this happens somewhere in the game, then every time you make a foul could be your second yellow.”
Liverpool.com says: Only Ekitike will know what was going through his mind at the moment, but it was a really stupid moment for the striker, and you could immediately see what his teammates thought about it.
It’s such a needless sending-off that now creates an added headache for Liverpool ahead of the weekend, especially at a time when Alexander Isak’s minutes are still being managed carefully.