Liverpool secured a 2-1 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round, but the win came with a price. Alexander Isak scored his first goal for the club, and Hugo Ekitike netted the late winner, but the French forward was shown a second yellow card for celebrating by taking off his shirt. This "foolish" red card, as manager Arne Slot described it, means Ekitike will miss the upcoming Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
The match saw a completely different lineup from the one that played in the Merseyside derby on Saturday. Isak, making his third appearance since a British record £125 million move, opened his account in the 43rd minute after a defensive error from Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy was capitalized on by Federico Chiesa. However, Southampton, proved tenacious, with forward Adam Armstrong hitting the crossbar and a free header from Léo Scienza sailing wide.
Southampton managed to stun Anfield when substitute Shea Charles capitalized on a wayward header from Wataru Endo to score from close range in the 76th minute. With the score tied and penalties looming, Andy Robertson delivered a delightful ball into the run of Chiesa, who unselfishly squared it for Ekitike to slot into an empty net in the 85th minute.
Ekitike's celebration quickly turned to dismay when he received a second yellow card for removing his shirt, an action that Arne Slot called "needless" and "stupid." He said, "If you score in the Champions League final...I can maybe understand he is like: 'This is all about me.' But I'm old-fashioned." Ekitike was quick to apologize on Instagram, writing, "the emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family."
The victory, Liverpool's seventh in a row across all competitions, was further marred by a potentially serious injury to debutant defender Giovanni Leoni. The 18-year-old, who was a composed presence on the field, was stretchered off late in the game with a knee injury. He is set to undergo an MRI scan to determine the severity of the injury, with immediate fears of an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
