Hugo Ekitike sends message to new Liverpool teammate after Crystal Palace defeat

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike delivered an expletive-laden response to new teammate Jeremie Frimpong following the Reds' disappointing penalty shootout Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace.

Arne Slot endured his second Wembley disappointment as Liverpool manager after succumbing to their Premier League counterparts in a penalty shootout. The Merseyside outfit held the advantage on two occasions in London, with the Frenchman breaking his duck for the club within four minutes following his summer arrival.

Frimpong's clever delivery-turned-effort restored their advantage in the opening period following Jean-Philippe Mateta's equaliser after Reds captain Virgil van Dijk conceded a spot-kick for a penalty box infringement.

Liverpool appeared sluggish after the interval and surrendered its lead in the final moments as Ismaila Sarr maintained his impressive record against the Premier League titleholders, before Oliver Glasner's men held their composure from the penalty spot.

The occasion marked a memorable debut for both Ekitike and Frimpong as they registered their maiden strikes for the club following their transfers from Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

Whilst the outcome proved disappointing, the Dutchman expressed satisfaction on Instagram, writing: "Disappointed with the result but we go again. Happy with my first goal in a Liverpool shirt."

Ekitike offered his backing amongst the responses, with the 23 year old replying: "Put that s--- on."

The ex-Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain ace generated considerable discussion after finding the net with a brilliant strike on his competitive bow.

Ekitike celebrated his goal with a talking gesture, but the reason behind this remains a mystery, with various groups drawing their own conclusions.

One theory suggests it was a response to the ongoing rumors about Alexander Isak and Liverpool's interest in the Swedish international.

Others believe it was a retort to critics after he chose Liverpool over Newcastle United in a deal earlier this summer.

After the Community Shield loss, Van Dijk commented: "It's never easy coming from a different country and I think he's settled in really well.

"With his goal, it was good to see, it was important and hopefully many more to come."

The Liverpool skipper added: "Well, we just lost Darwin, he went to Saudi and we lost Lucho (Luis Diaz), obviously he went to Bayern (Munich).

"I think there's always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us, so let's see what the window brings in terms of the balance of the team."

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