Jurgen Klopp moved quickly to have Virgil van Dijk removed from the field after the Liverpool defender was sent a red card against Newcastle.
Referee John Brooks sent off Van Dijk for a foul on Alexander Isak, who seemed to be heading toward goal. Brooks was immediately sent out for the challenge, leaving Van Dijk confused.
A video leaked on social media showing the Dutchman voicing his displeasure to Brooks, calling the judgment a “strongly worded joke,” before fleeing the ground. Van Dijk got into a heated argument with fourth official Craig Pawson before Klopp arrived. The Liverpool manager stepped in and spoke with his captain before leading him to the tunnel.
Van Dijk’s dismissal capped a difficult first half-hour for Liverpool, in which they lost a goal thanks to a blunder by Trent Alexander-Arnold, giving former Everton winger Anthony Gordon the lead.
Even before Van Dijk was sent out, Liverpool came close to being reduced to ten men when Alexander-Arnold, who had previously been cautioned for delaying play, was given the benefit of the doubt by Brooks after blocking Gordon’s advance during a transition.
Liverpool made a tactical adjustment in response to Van Dijk’s punishment, substituting Luis Diaz for Joe Gomez, and went into the halftime break down on the scoreline.
While Brooks did not hesitate to show a red card, internet reactions to Van Dijk’s dismissal were mixed. “Perhaps not the unanimous view, but the red card seemed quite severe to me,” Match of the Day host Gary Lineker said on the network that was originally known as Twitter. @VirgilvDijk made clear contact with the ball. Perhaps my vision is deteriorating with age.”
Alan Shearer, a Newcastle fan and a popular figure on the BBC highlights program with Lineker, disagreed. “After he got the player!” he answered amusingly. “It’s time for an eye exam.”
Jamie Carragher, who gave game analysis for Sky Sports, was equally skeptical of Brooks’ decision to show a red card. “Virgil van Dijk makes some mistakes here; initially, he’s sluggish in moving across,” Carragher said during halftime. The decision to continue with the challenge may not have been prudent, but I don’t feel it warrants a red card. In my judgment, there is inadequate proof.”
“How can you be certain that was a clear goal-scoring opportunity?” Carragher said. He was sluggish to respond at first; he should have avoided the challenge, but it does not deserve a red card.”