Whenever Richarlison faces Liverpool, it rarely passes without drama.
The Tottenham forward memorably broke out his pigeon celebration after a stoppage-time equaliser at Anfield in April 2023, only for Diogo Jota to snatch a winner moments later at the other end — a moment that prompted a playful social media jab from Jamie Carragher.
Fast forward to this evening, and the former Everton striker was introduced off the bench with Spurs 2-0 down to Arne Slot’s side and just 10 minutes of normal time left. As expected, he quickly found himself at the centre of events.
Just three minutes after coming on, Richarlison capitalised on a loose ball inside the Liverpool box after the Reds failed to clear a corner, scoring a goal that set up what could be described as a frantic finale in north London.
Richarlison’s behaviour leads to Szoboszlai suspension
During his ‘celebration’, the 28-year-old shoved Hugo Ekitike on the back of the neck while the Frenchman lay face-down on the turf, before sprinting over to Dominik Szoboszlai and screaming in the Hungarian midfielder’s face. Astonishingly, it was Liverpool’s number eight who was booked by referee John Brooks — his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season.
That booking means Szoboszlai will now miss next Saturday’s clash against Wolves, a major setback given Liverpool are already without several key players.
Mohamed Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez are injured. Conor Bradley appeared to pick up a knock before half-time, and Alexander Isak was forced off after being caught by Micky van de Ven while scoring Liverpool’s opener.
Unnecessary and disgraceful from Richarlison
Richarlison’s frosty relationship with Liverpool is well documented, from his strange remarks about Virgil van Dijk to his immature social media posts following the Reds’ Champions League final defeat in 2022.
Even so, his conduct after scoring tonight was indefensible. There was no need to provoke Ekitike or Szoboszlai when he could have returned straight to the centre circle and capitalised on the momentum shift with Liverpool suddenly under pressure.
The Brazil international later picked up a booking for arguing with Brooks at the final whistle — hardly a shock — but his post-goal antics played a part in Szoboszlai being suspended for what was effectively no offence at all.
Ultimately, Liverpool had the final say, securing a 2-1 victory and briefly climbing into the Premier League’s top five.