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Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool will not fine Hugo Ekitike following his red card against Southampton. The striker earned himself a suspension for tomorrow's game against Crystal Palace when he removed his jersey in celebration while already on a yellow card.
The first booking had also been highly unnecessary, received for punching the ball away after a contentious decision. Liverpool managed to progress to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup despite ending the game a man light, but the full consequences will not be known until after the weekend's Premier League fixture.
The internal reaction in the immediate aftermath of the fixture was extremely negative. Arne Slot had some choice remarks in his post-match press conference, while Andy Robertson also made it known that the dressing room was unimpressed.
But with everyone having had some time to cool off and reflect, Slot has struck a calmer tone ahead of the Palace game. And he has rubbished claims that Ekitike is set for a two-week fine.
"No, [unless] discipline means that I spoke to him," Slot told the pre-match press conference when asked if the striker was facing disciplinary action. "But I don't think that is discipline, discipline means a fine, and that he didn't get.
"It wasn't very smart what he did. He recognized it himself immediately straight away.
"He said sorry straight away to his teammates. He's young, players of all ages do make mistakes, and that's what he did in this situation.
"You're allowed at this club to make a mistake without immediately getting fines or these kind of things. He's a fantastic human being; I think if you talked to all the staff members and asked them the top three warmest, most polite people, he's in everyone's top three.
"Even if he wasn't like this, he's allowed to make a mistake. It wasn't smart, it didn't hurt us Tuesday evening, but it might hurt us tomorrow — the positive thing is that Federico Chiesa is showing himself at the moment, it's a chance for him."
The likely stand-in from the start, of course, is Alexander Isak. Slot confirmed that the Swede is ready for more action, although he suggested his involvement will be capped at 60 to 70 minutes.
From there, Chiesa is a more than able stand-in, having shown some good form when called upon at the start of this campaign. The Italian has also been added to the Champions League squad, following the awful injury to Giovanni Leoni.
If Slot wishes to use a more orthodox center-forward, Jayden Danns is another who seized his opportunity against Southampton, looking lively in his cameo. The manager is by no means short on options.
Even so, it's clear that Ekitike's absence will be felt, after his excellent start to life at Anfield. But not issuing a fine feels like the right step.
For one thing, codes of conduct are set out in advance, so Liverpool would have needed to have a pretty tightly-written policy to cover such an unusual turn of events. But more than that, the disapproval of colleagues is already a sufficient sanction.
Liverpool does not need to become like Jim Ratcliffe's Manchester United, performatively making gestures to show "high standards" while still floundering on the pitch. Ekitike has learned his lesson without the need for a fine, and now the Red winning machine will look to keep rolling on.
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