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Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has delivered a heartfelt message following his official debut for the Reds. Mamardashvili was chosen between the sticks for the Reds' Carabao Cup third-round clash against Southampton on Tuesday evening.
Arne Slot's side left it late once more to secure a 2-1 triumph over the Saints at Anfield, with strikes from Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike clinching the victory. Ekitike received his marching orders for removing his shirt during his celebration as he was shown a second yellow card.
Slot opted for Mamardashvili to face Southampton, with regular number one Alisson Becker given a breather for the fixture.
The Georgia international delivered a commanding display on his full debut, marking his first competitive outing since his arrival from Valencia earlier this year.
Within hours of the final whistle, Mamardashvili turned to social media to share his thoughts after making his full bow for Liverpool.
"First official game for Liverpool," posted Mamardashvili on Instagram. "A special day, a new chapter and an honour to wear this shirt. Grateful for all the support."
Slot specifically mentioned Mamardashvili when highlighting the players who caught the eye for Liverpool against Southampton, whilst also acknowledging why he wasn't completely satisfied with the display.
"Not our best performance. You can expect that if you play a complete new team," remarked Slot. "So many players that haven't played for a long time.
"There were positives, Giorgi Mamardashvili had a good game, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni had a good game. A first goal for Alexander [Isak] and another from Hugo [Ekitike].
"Positives from the game but how we played as a team - not taking anything away from Southampton because they played well - it wasn't our best performance."
On Ekitike's dismissal, Slot added: "“The first one was already needless and, to a certain extent, stupid because you have to control your emotions.
“I know how hard it is if you play the Premier League, or any other league in the world, if you are a No. 9, as the defender can do almost everything he wants, but if you push him a little bit you get a free-kick against you.
“But it’s always best to control your emotions, and if you can’t, do it in a way that doesn’t lead to a yellow card.
“That’s what happened with the first yellow. Then I told him as well, 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 ‘it’s all about me’.
“But I’m old-fashioned, I’m 47, and old, and I haven’t played at this level, but I did score a few goals, and if I would’ve scored goal like this, I would’ve turned around to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘this goal is all about you’. Needless, not smart, you call it stupid and I call it stupid as well."
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