Early in the second half, Ekitike curled a shot from about 15 meters into the bottom left corner to put Liverpool 2-0 up. While the visiting team's coaching staff celebrated, Slot ran out of the tunnel, breathless and looking bewildered. He then appeared to ask his assistants, "What just happened?".

The moment Slot missed Ekitike's goal. (Author: Hoang An)

The moment Slot missed Ekitike's goal. (Author: Hoang An)

The camera then focused on the dejected Newcastle coaching staff. At that point, the home team was two goals down and a man short after Anthony Gordon received a red card at the end of the first half. Newcastle fought back to tie the game 2-2 but lost in the final minute to a goal from 16-year-old striker Rio Ngumoha.

Slot's moment gained attention on social media after the match, attracting hundreds of comments on Reddit. User tmarc5 commented, "Maybe Slot took a bathroom break during halftime".

User MrAchilles replied, "Imagine being in the bathroom at a bar and hearing the whole place erupt for a goal".

User vadapaav wrote, "Slot is like me in college. When I saw my classmates laughing and having fun, I would often come over and ask what was going on, with a forced smile".

As Slot ran out, a Liverpool player was also following behind. It is possible that he was busy talking to this player and therefore missed the start of the second half.

The 46-year-old Slot is known for his humor and directness in press conferences. He's not afraid to joke with reporters. However, in the post-match press conference, no one asked him about this unusual situation.

Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the season after the match at St James Park. They, along with Arsenal and Tottenham, have earned six points from their opening two games. The remaining 17 teams have all dropped points in at least one match. Two teams, West Ham and Wolverhampton, are yet to earn any points after two rounds.

Hoang An