😡 Slot hits out at him: how Ekitiké responds to the dressing-down | OneFootball

Late winning goal, taking off the shirt and celebrating in front of the fans. Under different circumstances, Arne Slot would have been totally fine with that. But after yesterday's actions by his striker Hugo Ekitiké, the Liverpool coach was seriously annoyed. The offender responded a little later on social media to the harsh criticism.

For the 2-1 winning goal in the EFL Cup against second-division side Southampton, Ekitiké only had to tap the ball in after a fine assist from teammate Federico Chiesa.

What happened next caused Slot to be baffled in several ways. At the post-match press conference, the Dutchman first criticized the goal scorer’s general decision to turn away in celebration: "If I had scored a goal like that, I would have turned around and gone to Federico Chiesa in that situation and said: 'This goal is entirely your achievement, it has nothing to do with me.'"

He had already told his protégé this personally beforehand.  "I already told him: If you dribble past three players in the 87th minute of a Champions League final and then put the ball in the top corner, maybe I can understand thinking: 'This is all my doing, look what I’ve done.'"

📸 Jan Kruger - 2025 Getty Images

But what really got the coach worked up was taking off the shirt: "Unnecessary, not smart. You call it stupid. By the way, I call it stupid too." Ekitiké, who had already been booked—Slot also thought this yellow card was avoidable—received a second yellow for the shirt offense and the Reds then had to defend their lead with a man down.

After the commotion about his actions, the former Frankfurt player responded later that night. Via 'Instagram', Ekitiké insisted: "The emotions overwhelmed me. I apologize to the entire Red family." He also thanked the fans for their support—and his teammates for securing the win after his sending off.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Jan Kruger - 2025 Getty Images