Hugo Ekitike leaves Liverpool fans fuming after Rayan Cherki swap - 'Heads in the clouds'
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SportFootballLiverpool FCLiverpool forward Hugo Ekitike swapped shirts with Manchester City's Rayan Cherki after being taken offThe sight of Hugo Ekitike swapping shirts with Manchester City's Rayan Cherki left several Liverpool fans unimpressed as the Reds were well beaten 4-0 in the FA Cup.Despite a bright start at the Etihad Stadium, the Reds were blown away in the quarter-final tie as Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo also found the net.To compound matters, Mohamed Salah had a penalty saved by James Trafford as the Reds slipped to a miserable defeat, their third to City in all competitions this season.As he watched on on the sidelines, Arne Slot opted to ring the changes with his side 4-0 down midway through the second half, including taking off Ekitike for Cody Gakpo.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageShortly afterwards Cherki, who had assisted Semenyo's goal, was replaced by Tijjani Reijnders for City, and he was quick to swap shirts with his France international team-mate Ekitike as he did so.Cherki even put Ekitike's Liverpool shirt on, which raised the anger of some City fans in the crowd, quickly causing the former Lyon man to remove it.It was the fact that Ekitike had been so keen to swap shirts which angered several Reds fans though, especially after such a poor performance which is sure to heap pressure on under-fire boss Slot."Ekitike swapping his shirt before full time at 4-0 down tells you all you need to know about the mentality of this squad," said one fan on X.Another added: "Hugo Ekitke swapping shirts with Rayan Cherki when it’s 4-0 tells you everything you need to know about this squad at the moment.
Heads in the clouds.""Ekitike’s first thought after being subbed off after stinking the joint up was getting Cherki’s shirt," wrote another.Another responded to the shirt swap by writing: "There’s absolute zero man management, leaders or captains in this side anymore. no one cares."After the heavy loss the Reds have to pick themselves up for the Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain, Ekitike's former club, on Wednesday.Up to 70% off Liverpool kits and merchThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreVarious PricesKitbagBuy Now on KitbagKitbag has slashed the price of Liverpool kits and merch with up to 70% off select items.Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FC