Virgil van Dijk was hailed for calming Amara Nallo after the 18-year-old was sent off in Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
The Reds skipper was seen following Nallo down the tunnel after the youngster received a red card at Anfield on Wednesday, his second in just two competitive outings for the club.
Nallo, who came on in the second half of the Carabao Cup match, lasted only 12 minutes on the field after pulling down Justin Devenny in the 79th minute as Palace scored.
The 18-year-old’s challenge denied the visitors a clear scoring opportunity, forcing referee Craig Pawson to show Nallo a second red card in his professional career.
Nallo also played only four minutes in Liverpool’s 3-2 Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven in January, when he was sent off for a last-ditch challenge.
Van Dijk and Konate consoled Amara Nallo.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said he saw Van Dijk heading down the tunnel following Nallo’s red card in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Palace:
“What a terrible experience for the youngster, Amara Nallo. Nothing is worse than learning you’ve been sent off on your debut. Then there’s the next game, in which you commit an error, resulting in another sending off.
“I just saw Virgil van Dijk walking down the tunnel. You must try to pick up the youngster.”
In his post-match press conference, Liverpool manager Arne Slot claimed that both Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate consoled Nallo following his red card, describing the two as ‘wonderful human beings’.
Footage posted on X shows Nallo’s red card incident, in which the 18-year-old brings down Devenny, who was sprinting through on goal late in the second half.
Liverpool suffered their sixth defeat in seven games on Wednesday, with goals from Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino leading Palace to a comfortable victory, their third in a row against the Reds this season.
Slot came under fire for making ten changes from the 3-2 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, including eight teenagers in the squad, three of whom started.
Liverpool now faces a difficult schedule, facing Aston Villa in the league on Saturday and Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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