(Video) Richarlison’s shameless celebrations right after scoring may now come back to haunt Liverpool
Whenever Richarlison comes up against Liverpool, it’s almost guaranteed that he’ll find a way to insert himself into the drama.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward is already infamous among Reds supporters for his pigeon celebration after a stoppage-time equaliser at Anfield in April 2023 — a moment swiftly overshadowed when Diogo Jota scored the winner seconds later, prompting a tongue-in-cheek social media jab from Jamie Carragher.
This time around, the former Everton attacker was introduced from the bench with Spurs 2-0 down against Arne Slot’s side and just 10 minutes of normal time left. As so often seems to be the case, he quickly became central to events.
Just three minutes after coming on, Richarlison capitalised on a loose ball inside the Liverpool box after the Reds failed to deal with a corner, dragging Tottenham back into the contest and setting up a tense finale in north London.
Richarlison’s behaviour leads to Szoboszlai ban
However, it was what followed that caused the most controversy. During his celebration, the 28-year-old shoved Hugo Ekitike in the back of the neck as the Frenchman lay face-down on the turf, before storming over to Dominik Szoboszlai and shouting directly in the midfielder’s face.
Astonishingly, referee John Brooks booked Liverpool’s number eight — his fifth Premier League yellow card of the season — meaning Szoboszlai will now miss next Saturday’s clash with Wolves. That suspension comes at a terrible time, with Liverpool already stretched thin.
Mohamed Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez are sidelined through injury. Conor Bradley appeared to pick up a knock before half-time, and Alexander Isak was forced off after taking a heavy challenge from Micky van de Ven when scoring Liverpool’s opener.
Completely unnecessary from Richarlison
Richarlison’s strained relationship with Liverpool is well documented, from his bizarre comments about Virgil van Dijk to his immature social media behaviour following the Reds’ Champions League final defeat in 2022.
Even so, his conduct after scoring on this occasion was needless and provocative. There was no reason to antagonise Ekitike and Szoboszlai when he could have simply returned to the centre circle and focused on the game, especially with Liverpool momentarily under pressure.
The Brazilian still managed to pick up a booking himself for arguing with Brooks at full-time — hardly a shock — but the real damage was already done. His post-goal antics directly contributed to Szoboszlai being suspended for an offence that scarcely existed.
In the end, though, Liverpool had the final word. A 2-1 victory ensured Richarlison’s theatrics came to nothing, as the Reds briefly climbed into the Premier League’s top five and left north London with all three points.
