Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike apologises after a red card and suspension; here's how many games he will miss

Hugo Ekitike issued an apology to Liverpool supporters after being sent off for his goal celebration in Tuesday’s English League Cup win over Southampton.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot labelled the French striker’s actions as “needless” and “stupid.”

Liverpool had Hugo Ekitike sent off after scoring the winning goal

Ekitike will now miss Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, as his dismissal came from removing his shirt in celebration of his 85th-minute winner in the 2-1 victory.

“The emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family,” he wrote on Instagram after the match.

The 23-year-old, who entered as a halftime substitute, had already been booked for dissent before the sending-off.

“Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and to a certain extent, stupid, as you have got to control your emotions,” Slot said. “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. He 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 is not about me.’”

The goal was Ekitike’s fifth in eight appearances for Liverpool since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in July for $93.5 million. Still, the consequences extend to the Reds’ upcoming league fixture, as red card suspensions apply to the following domestic match, regardless of the competition.

That rules him out of the trip to Selhurst Park this weekend, though the French international will be available for Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday and their league encounter with Chelsea the following weekend.

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