Topics: Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Jurgen Klopp, Premier League, Alexander Isak
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has been shown a straight red card against Newcastle for a foul on Alexander Isak.
The Dutch defender brought the Swedish international down outside the Newcastle area, with Isak bearing down on goal.
Both Van Dijk and manager Jurgen Klopp were stunned at the initial decision by referee John Brooks, which was then checked and cleared by VAR.
Van Dijk did win the ball in tackling Isak, but was adjudged to have gone through the back of the forward in bringing him down.
Advert
The Dutchman continued his protests even after the VAR check, and was seen in animated discussion with the referee, Klopp and the rest of the Liverpool coaching staff as he made his way to the bench.
Liverpool had earlier gone 1-0 down following a mistake from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could not control Mohamed Salah's backpass.
Anthony Gordon ran on to the loose ball, before slotting an effort low beyond Alisson to give Newcastle the lead.
But Van Dijk's red card only left the Reds in more peril as they look to avoid a first Premier League defeat of the season.
There was early controversy in the match after Alexander-Arnold avoided a second yellow card for a pullback on Gordon.
The Liverpool right-back was initially booked by the referee for dissent after being pushed off the pitch by Gordon, before grabbing hold of his shirt once play resumed.
But while the England international avoided an early end to the match, Van Dijk was not so fortunate.
Klopp acted quickly to replace forward Luis Diaz with Joe Gomez in an attempt to fill the void left by the Dutchman, but the Reds face an uphill task to get back into the game with 10 players.
Remarkably, it is the first time Van Dijk has ever been shown a red card in his Liverpool career, having made over 200 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Was the referee right to send Van Dijk off? Let us know in the comments.
