Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has shared his thoughts on Hugo Ekitike’s controversial red card during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup tie against Southampton on Tuesday.
Ekitike was dismissed after netting a dramatic late winner and celebrating by removing his shirt, a move that earned him a second yellow card and a suspension for this weekend’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
While pundits such as ex-Blackburn forward Chris Sutton slammed the act as “sheer stupidity,” Rooney adopted a more sympathetic view when speaking on his BBC podcast, as reported by BBC Sport on Friday.
“He’s been caught up in the emotion of scoring a goal, and he’ll probably regret it,” Rooney admitted. “I’m not defending it because it is silly, but with VAR these days and players hesitating before they celebrate, I think it’s actually refreshing to see someone show that level of passion.”
Rooney added that the suspension hands Alexander Isak a big opportunity. “He’s doing really well, and it’s probably a shootout between him and Isak to start against Palace. He’s given Isak the chance to step in and try to take his place. So I’m sure he’ll be devastated.”
