Anthony Gordon was sent off during Newcastle United's 3-2 defeat against Liverpool in the Premier League
Anthony Gordon and Virgil van Dijk
Anthony Gordon and Virgil van Dijk(Image: Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk says it was "strange" that referee Simon Hooper needed to go to his pitch-side VAR monitor to check that Anthony Gordon's challenge on him was deemed a red card.
10-man Newcastle United battled hard but fell to defeat against Premier League champions Liverpool, who struck in the 100th minute to win 3-2 and condemn the Magpies to their first loss of the season.
16-year-old Rio Ngumoha netted late for the Reds after Bruno Guimaraes and William Osula had brought Newcastle back into the game, with Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike also scoring for Arne Slot's side.
Although the Magpies put in a real shift, especially during the second half, they may have stood an even greater chance of getting something from the game had Gordon stayed on the pitch instead of receiving a red card.
Ex-Everton forward Gordon was shown his marching orders in first-half stoppage-time after catching Van Dijk late on the back of the calf. Hooper initially gave Gordon a yellow card before soon upgrading it to red once he had watched the incident back again on his pitch-side monitor.
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Delivering his verdict on the red card, Van Dijk could not believe that Hooper first gave a yellow in real time. "I said to him ‘if this is not a sending off, I don’t understand football', Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
"I think it was already strange the referee has to go to the monitor in my opinion. Unfortunately these things happen in football. If he meant it or not, it happened. We move on. That’s it."
Shortly after the match had concluded, Gordon issued a statement and apologised to the Newcastle fans for his sending off. "I want to sincerely apologise to my teammates and the fans," he began. "My intentions were pure. I was just trying to create energy in the game and I mistimed the tackle.
"I also want to apologise to Virgil, I would never intend to tackle somebody like this on purpose. We spoke after and he knows that. More importantly, I'm so proud of the time I spent on the pitch and how we played tonight.
"The atmosphere from you all is what makes SJP (St James' Park) so special. I love everything we stand for as a club and no more than right now. I'll be back and better, the same as every other setback I've ever faced. See you soon."