After scoring to re-establish Liverpool’s lead in a Carabao Cup round three win over Southampton on Tuesday evening, Hugo Ekitike delivered a crazy moment, taking off his shirt in celebration whilst already booked.
The result saw him sent off after receiving a second yellow card, although his goal, scored five minutes from time, was enough to see the hosts progress to the next round of the competition.
His action divided opinions, as one side believes he may have forgotten he was on a booking, while another suggests he is insecure about fellow summer signing Alexander Isak, who started and scored the opener with his first Liverpool goal.
Hugo Ekitike’s Crazy Cameo vs. Southampton
The Frenchman replaced Isak at halftime as the former Newcastle United man was withdrawn due to cramp, and received his first booking eight minutes later, after throwing the ball up in frustration following a foul.
Although it wasn’t the best of nights, he still managed to come up with the match-winning moment, firing into an empty net after Federico Chiesa had done all the work and unselfishly placed the ball on a platter for him.
After the match, an enraged Arne Slot admitted he was baffled by the striker’s decision to celebrate the goal by taking off his shirt. He said:
“I told him if you score in a Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it into the top corner I can maybe understand that you are like ‘this is all about me’.
“I’m old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old and I haven’t played at this level but I did score a few goals and if I had scored a goal like this I would have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said this goal is all about you, not about me.
“So needless, not smart, you call it stupid, I call it stupid as well.”
Calling it stupid is right, but the reason for being stupid may be trouble for Liverpool in the long run.
Behind Hugo Ekitike’s Head loss vs. Southampton
Hugo Ekitike has enjoyed a sensational start to life at Liverpool, already scoring in three of four different competitions, with the only goal yet to come in the Champions League, where he has played just 32 minutes as a substitute against Atlético Madrid.
With five goals and one assist, he is the club’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League and no player has more goals than him in the other competitions where he has already scored.
His €95 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer already looks a bargain, but his place in the team will always be under contention due to the late arrival of Alexander Isak before the transfer window closed.
Isak, a €145 million British record signing, arrived from Newcastle with a reputation as one of the best strikers in the world, Premier League proven and an elite athlete, consistent even against the best teams in the league.
However, he arrived without a preseason at his former club, where he was forced to train alone all summer while trying to force a move away. He is not in the shape needed to walk straight into the team, and Ekitike’s form leaves Liverpool in no desperate need.
But the Frenchman’s action yesterday showed the reality that no one wants that kind of competition. After Isak grabbed his first Liverpool goal and Ekitike came on to score the winner, taking off his shirt and showing his name to the fans meant much more. It’s not as simple as forgetting. Stupid? Yes. Insecure? Even better.
Shirt Name Celebrations always deliver a message, and surely it isn’t that “look at me, I scored a simple tap-in against Championship side Southampton at Anfield to give us a 2-1 win.” There is so much more behind it.
Healthy competition is good in every team, but when things like this happen, there is a need for a call to order. And Arne Slot, who was able to resolve the Mohamed Salah issue upon his arrival, will surely know how to work his way around this one.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
