3 hours ago
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Federico Chiesa's unseen reaction perfectly encapsulated the feelings of every Liverpool supporter following Hugo Ekitike's red card in the midweek match against Southampton.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt forward has had a brilliant start to his Merseyside career. Despite the addition of Alexander Isak to Liverpool's squad on deadline day, Ekitike has managed to keep the ex-Newcastle player out of the team with his consistent performances. On Tuesday, Isak was chosen over Ekitike and justified Arne Slot's selection by putting Liverpool ahead against the Saints.
However, his playing time was carefully managed, and he was substituted at half-time for the Frenchman. Southampton gave the hosts a scare when Shea Charles equalized, leaving it up to Ekitike to save the day.
And that's exactly what he did, tapping into an open goal to send Anfield into raptures. But the joy quickly turned to frustration when Ekitike impulsively took off his shirt to celebrate.
Forgetting that he had already been booked earlier in the half, Ekitike was swiftly shown a second yellow card and sent off, leaving the Reds to finish the game with 10 players.
At the time, many noticed Jeremie Frimpong questioning Ekitike's actions, but few caught Chiesa's reaction.
In a photo shared by a fan on social media, the Italian player can be seen resting his head on Southampton's Joshua Quarshie's chest as he grapples with his teammate's exit.
Fortunately for Ekitike, his team managed to clinch the victory and will now face Crystal Palace in the fourth round.
Coincidentally, Palace are set to be the Reds' opponents this Saturday, and Ekitike will be missing from Saturday's game.
As the red card was given in the Carabao Cup, the suspension will carry over into the Premier League.
When asked about any penalties for Ekitike, Slot confirmed that the player had not been fined. "Disciplined means I spoke to him but if 'disciplined' means a fine, we didn't do that," the Dutchman disclosed.
"It wasn't smart what he did, he recognized that straight away and said sorry to his teammates.
"Players of all ages do make mistakes and you are allowed at this club to make a mistake without immediately getting fines.
"He is a fantastic human being, if you speak to all staff members and ask them their warmest human beings, he would be in the top three.
"He wasn't smart, didn't hurt us on Tuesday, might tomorrow, the positive is Federico Chiesa [can return]."
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