He thought he was the hero of the evening. By scoring the victory goal against Southampton, Hugo Ekitike offered the qualification in Liverpool. But in the euphoria, he committed the irreparable: to remove his jersey to celebrate, when he already had a yellow card. Expulsion. Suspension for the next crucial championship match. And since then, it is a deluge of criticisms that falls on him. From all sides.
Hugo Ekitike's loneliness, lynched after his ridiculous expulsion
The most violent burden came from his own camp. His trainer, Arne Slot, did not spare him at a press conference.
“It was stupid and useless”, he said, before giving him a real blow of grace: “Instead of putting yourself forward, you should have returned and tell Federico Chiesa: 'This goal is all you, not me'”.
A public humiliation, which speaks volumes about the anger of the coach.
Even his teammates did not support him. The vice-captain, Andy Robertson, spoke of “Two stupid boxes”
and a gesture “Idress from him”. In the media, the popular court was unleashed.
“The Golden Ball of Stupidity” For Craig Burley, “Pure madness” For Chris Sutton,
“Completely absurd” For Jobi Mcanuff… French is alone, faced with a unanimous and merciless criticism.
The English dream turns into a nightmare
For Ekitike, the awakening is brutal. Author of a canon start to the season with 5 goals, he thought he had conquered Anfield. Today he discovers the ruthless requirement of the very high level. The heat and the family atmosphere he had known in Frankfurt have given way to the coldness of an institution where the slightest error is paid cash.
This affair, beyond the anecdote, is a lesson. It shows how thin the border is between the status of heroes and that of scapegoat. Hugo Ekitike, lynched on all sides, must feel good alone today. He will have to learn, and quickly. Because in Liverpool, you do not forgive youthful errors long. Especially when they cost so expensive.
