By Megha Mallick,News18

Copyright news18

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said that Hugo Ekitike’s shirt-off celebration in the EFL Cup third-round clash against Southampton was needless, highlighting that it was a stupid act from the latter as he was handed a second yellow, i.e a red card, four days ahead of their Premier League game against Crystal Palace.
Just eight minutes after replacing striker Alexander Isak at half-time, Ekitike received his first yellow card for punching the ball away in frustration after referee Thomas Bramall awarded a free-kick to Southampton.
Ekitike restored Liverpool’s lead in the 85th minute, tapping in Federico Chiesa’s cross, but was then booked for removing his shirt while celebrating in front of the Anfield crowd.
“Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and, to a certain extent, stupid, as you have to control your emotions. I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner, I can maybe understand,” Slot was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“It was stupid, in every sense” ?
Arne Slot was not pleased with Hugo Ekitke after he received a second yellow card for taking his shirt off while celebrating ? pic.twitter.com/mBsyHapKmN
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 23, 2025

“He (Ekitike) is like, ‘This is all about me, what did I do?’. But I am old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old. I never played at this level, but did score a few goals and if I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, this isn’t about me,” Slot said.
“It’s always best to control your emotions. If you cannot, do it in a way that does not lead to a yellow card,” Slot added.