Arne Slot has been terrific for Liverpool since he joined the club last season. Having won the English Premier League in his first season as the manager, the Dutchman has since become a fan favourite.
The Reds recently lost against Crystal Palace as the Merseysiders travelled to London again to face defeat. Last time, the Eagles neutralised Liverpool on penalties in an FA Community Shield win at Wembley.
The game ended 2-2, but the team led by the Reds’ target, Marc Guehi, made sure that the Shield stays in London. This time, the Reds faced their first Premier League loss against the same club.
Things would’ve definitely turned out differently if Slot had managed to sign Guehi in the summer. The Englishman was among the top defenders being hunted by the English club.
Nevertheless, the Merseysiders didn’t lose hope as they had come back from a win against Southampton in a Carabao Cup clash. Despite the win, the game ended in complication following Giovanni Leoni’s injury and Hugo Ekitike’s sending off.
Quiz: Name the team Liverpool signed these players from in the 2010s
Arne Slot praised after the Ekitike sending off
Former Scotland international Ally McCoist praises Arne Slot for player management (Credits: Imago Images)
Liverpool finished 2-1 against Southampton as the Reds were leading the game till the 76th minute. A goal from Alexander Isak had given the Reds breathing room at Anfield.
Unfortunately, the Saints’ Shea Charles capitalised on a missed defensive clearance off a corner. However, Andy Robertson was still on in the last minute as he clocked a run from Federico Chiesa with under 10 minutes on the clock.
Ektike wasn’t sleeping either as a long pass from Robertson ended in Chiesa’s feet, who then rolled a simple pass to the French striker. The 23-year-old tapped a simple goal into the net in the 85th minute before getting sent off.
Hugo had already picked up a yellow card, which he followed up with an illegal celebration. After the scoring goal, he thought it was mandatory to remove his shirt, which led to a second yellow and a resulting red.
Arne Slot was clearly annoyed with that decision and did call out the player later after the match. Ekitike accepted his fault and also apologised later for his actions.
Slot, on the other hand, was praised for how he handled the situation as a manager. Former Scotland international Ally McCoist told TalkSPORT Bet about the manager’s brilliance.
“Arne Slot was a different class; he was brilliant. He said a lot of people out there would call it stupidity, and I’m one of them. And I thought, brilliant. No pulling the wool over his eyes, ‘no okay, it was a mistake, but you feel sorry for him’ or ‘the referee shouldn’t have booked him’.”
“Completely honest, upfront, Arne Slot got it absolutely 100% right, and so did Hugo Ekitike. Because he came out and said that he just got carried away. It’s going to cost me a couple of games. I’d like to apologise.”
