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Ekitiké joins another red family: prematurely disrobing before an early bath | Soccer

A PROPER SHIRT SHOW

If youâ€re going to plagiarise you might as well copy from the best, but when Hugo Ekitiké decided to pay homage to Lionel Messi by replicating one of the Argentinianâ€s more iconic celebrations, his tribute came at a cost to Liverpool. While Messi famously wheeled away in celebration, removed his shirt and pointedly held it up in front of the Bernabéu crowd after scoring a late, late winner for Barcelona in a five-goal thriller at Real Madrid in 2017, Ekitiké has now rather more infamously done the same thing after scoring a tap-in from an excellent Federico Chiesa assist against Championship opposition in the third round of Fizzy Cup. And while both players were routinely shown yellow cards for what has now been a bookable offence for more than 20 years, at least the one brandished in the direction of Messi was only his first of the match, so he wasnâ€t sent off.

“The first one was already needless and, to a certain extent, stupid, as you have got to control your emotions,†seethed Arne Slot of the first yellow his striker was shown for an act of dissent. “With the second one I told him that if you score in the [Bigger Cup] final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner … I can maybe understand he is like: ‘This is all about me.†But Iâ€m old-fashioned. If I scored a goal like this Iâ€d have walked up to Federico Chiesa and said: ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me.†Needless, not smart … I called it stupid right away.†While the price of Ekitikéâ€s act of over-exuberance is a one-match ban that rules him out of Liverpoolâ€s trip to Crystal Palace this weekend, he may find himself on the periphery for longer now that Alexander Isak has opened his account for the Reds and is fast approaching full fitness.

Issuing an apology on Social Media Disgrace Instachat that could scarcely have been more sheepish if had been covered in wool while being herded into a pen by a border collie, Ekitiké explained that “the emotion got the better of me tonight†and issued multiple “apologies to all the Red familyâ€. In the fullness of time, when itâ€s OK for him to look back and laugh at his own tomfoolery, he may even take perverse pleasure in discovering he has become a member of a different kind of “red family†– specifically one whose members also forgot they had already been booked before deciding to disrobe as part of late goal celebrations.

Last year, Amad Diallo was dismissed in similar circumstances after scoring Manchester Unitedâ€s winner in an FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, while Cameroonâ€s Vincent Aboubakar also received his marching orders for taking off his shirt in celebration after scoring what would prove to be the only goal of the game for Cameroon against Brazil at the last World Cup. Despite seeing his Southampton side lose 2-1 at Anfield, Will Still was certainly able to see the funny side of the early departure of a young player he knows from his days at Reims. “Hugo cracks me up,†he honked. “Heâ€s a funny lad. We caught up before the game, and he said heâ€d come on and score and then give me a shirt and bugger off, which is exactly what heâ€s done.â€

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QUOTE OF THE DAY I

“When we defend deeper it is because the other [team] are better or we are sh!t. I prefer us to regain the ball high up the pitch, [have] a lot of possession to disturb the structure of the opponents and try to punish them. Itâ€s always been like that and always will be like that. If it doesnâ€t happen it is because we were bad, not because we want to [be defensive]†– Pep Guardiola defends his, at times, José Mourinho-style tactics that earned the team a draw at Arsenal.

Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters

QUOTE OF THE DAY II

“How can you be dominant against such a team if you have … what was the word that was used? Handbrake. Dominance and handbrake, they are two different words. But I accept everything. I will learn more to have a different vision†– Mikel Arteta defends his, at times, José Mourinho-style tactics that earned the team a draw against Manchester City.

Photograph: Javier García/Shutterstock

I am already bored with the current trend of Liverpool grabbing a winner by way of a late goal in so many games. The ‘will they/wonâ€t they†has all but disappeared and jeopardy is obviously important as a neutral. The predictability is on a par with an episode of Columbo. As the viewer, already party to the guest star characterâ€s guilt, you know that Columbo is absolutely going to nail the killer with a novel demonstration of how they committed their supposed ‘perfect murderâ€. Liverpool now allow teams to believe they have snatched a very hard and well-earned point before turning to them in the dying seconds and saying: ‘Oh, just one more thing …†Perhaps the opposition managers should be replaced by stars such as William Shatner or Faye Dunaway (not many other former Columbo guest stars survive) – Tony Forrest.

Martin Oâ€Neill hits the nail squarely on the head (yesterdayâ€s Quote of the Day). The nonsense of expected goals and the rest of the infinite analysis of seemingly every second of every game and the ever increasing level of statistics is drowning what is basically a simple game. Bill Nicholson summed it up many years ago: ‘Just score one more goal than the other side.†Another of his tenets was: ‘Keep it simple but keep it quick.†I, for one, would be happy if journalists would apply the latter. More in hope than anticipation†– Stewart McGuinness.

Re: players booked for taking a free-kick too quickly (yesterdayâ€s Football Daily letters). I was at Loftus Road in October 2009 watching Reading away at QPR. In the first half Ben Watson picked up his second yellow card for taking a free-kick too soon, prompting celebrations among Reading fans. It all went a bit wrong a few seconds later when the replacement taker, Akos Buzsaky, happily curled it past Adam Federici in goal, the first of four for QPR in their victory that night†– Richard Moseley.

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Football

Leeds United promotion hero Patrick Bamford joins club with previous striker controversy: report

Leeds United bid farewell to long-serving striker Patrick Bamford during the summer transfer window, parting company with the experienced forward deemed surplus to requirements by first-team boss Daniel Farke.

Bamford, 32, is now on the cusp of completing a transfer to LaLiga side Getafe, according to reports in Spain.

The Madrid-based club are believed to have offered the striker a contract which is ready to be signed upon the completion of a medical.

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Patrick Bamford closing in on LaLiga move according to reports

Patrick Bamford

Patrick Bamford earned international recognition for his Leeds form in 2021

Bamford spent seven years at Leeds, scoring 60 goals in just over 200 appearances. The striker’s importance waned during the latter period of his Elland Road stay, featuring 18 times during last season’s Championship title-winning season for the Whites.

He failed to hit the back of the net throughout 2024/25. However, Bamford is fondly remembered in West Yorkshire for his role in two promotions to the Premier League, as well as his 17-goal top flight campaign in 2020/21 under Marcelo Bielsa.

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas looks on ahead of a game against Real Sociedad in September 2024.

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas (Image credit: Getty Images)

The one-cap England international is expected to join up with Jose Bordalas’ Getafe squad who currently sit eighth in Spain’s top flight.

Bamford will challenge the likes of Borja Mayoral and Adrian Liso for a place in Bordalas’ team, who are notoriously hard to beat.

Leeds man Mateo Joseph, who leapfrogged Bamford in the Elland Road pecking order last season, is currently on loan at Getafe’s LaLiga rivals Real Mallorca and the pair could be reunited on opposing sides later this season.

Due to the period of time Bamford has spent out of regular match action, it may take some time for the 32-year-old to get up to speed with his soon-to-be new club.

Pascal Struijk, Patrick Bamford and Junior Firpo of Leeds United celebrate promotion to the Premier League at the end of the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United FC and Bristol City FC at Elland Road on April 28, 2025 in Leeds, England.

(Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

That said, the player is likely to have October 19 in mind as a date he will aim to be ready for when Real Madrid visit Estadio Coliseum.

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Getafe visit the Santiago Bernabeu in the reverse fixture on March 1, 2026.

General view of Getafe's Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in 2021.

General view of Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium (Image credit: Getty Images)

Bamford’s soon-to-be boss Bordalas has previously drawn criticism for defending ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, who spent 2023/24 on loan at Getafe.

“He is a free person, a footballer of a very high level and who arrives at Getafe with enormous enthusiasm, and we are obviously going to help him so that he recovers back to his best level,” Bordalas said upon signing the former England man.

“I have already commented what I had to comment. I can only speak on a football level. We all know the potential he has. He is a very young boy, he is still 21 years old and we can help him adapt to a situation.”

He also described Greenwood as a ‘great lad’ and ‘exemplary’ after he was allegedly insulted by Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.

Mason Greenwood looks on after he is presented to the fans at the club's Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in September 2023.

Mason Greenwood looks on after he is presented to the fans at the club’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in September 2023. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Greenwood, now playing under Roberto De Zerbi at Olympique Marseille, was arrested back in 2022 after images and a voice note were posted online. The charges against him included attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior.

In February 2023, the United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced all charges against Greenwood had been dropped. The CPS stated the decision was made due to ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, which left the prosecution no longer with a realistic prospect of conviction.

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