Hugo not fined for his red card confirms boss

ARNE SLOT has confirmed Hugo Ekitike was not fined for his sending-off against Southampton as the Liverpool boss aimed to put the striker’s Carabao Cup dismissal to bed.

- By PAUL GORST

The France international was red-carded by referee Thomas Bramall for removing his shirt in celebration when already on a yellow card after scoring a late winner in the 2-1 victory against the Saints on Tuesday.

Slot branded the incident “needless and stupid” immediately after the game at Anfield but said the 23-year-old has not been sanctioned for his mistake as the Premier League leaders prepare to face Crystal Palace without him.

“Disciplined means I spoke to him but if ‘disciplined’ means a fine, we didn’t do that,” Slot said. “It wasn’t smart what he did, he recognised that straight away and said sorry to his teammates.