Stephen Warnock noticed what Virgil van Dijk did at Anfield straight after Amara Nallo red card | OneFootball

Amara Nallo made just his second competitive appearance for Liverpool tonight, but just like his debut, it was all too brief.

The 18-year-old had only four minutes on the pitch when he came on against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last January before being sent off, and he was subjected to a similar fate on Wednesday as Crystal Palace dumped the Reds out of the Carabao Cup.

He lasted slightly longer this time, being introduced in the 67th minute but getting his marching orders on 79 minutes for a professional foul on Justin Devenny.

Van Dijk goes to console Nallo after red card

It was another blow for Nallo so early in his footballing career, and the Liverpool captain went in pursuit of the teenager to provide some consoling words after the red card.

Stephen Warnock observed on BBC Radio 5 Live: “What a horrible feeling for the youngster, Amara Nallo. There is nothing worse than knowing you have been sent off on your debut. Then there is the next game, you make an error and it leads to another sending off.

“I have just seen Virgil van Dijk walk down the tunnel. You have to try pick the youngster up.”

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Another learning experince for Nallo

Nallo now has the unenviable record of playing 16 senior minutes for Liverpool and being sent off twice, in both instances paying the price for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

The red card tonight didn’t exactly alter the course of the game – Palace were already cruising at 2-0 when the 18-year-old received his marching orders – but it’ll be deeply disappointing for the defender on a personal level that his night ended prematurely.

If Van Dijk made a beeline for the teenager to console him – as appeared to be the case – it reflects well on the Reds captain to put an arm around the shoulder of a young player who’s already had a couple of tough moments so early in his LFC career.

For Nallo, it’s now a matter of learning from this experience and having the mental fortitude to recover from such a setback. He’s clearly a talented young footballer if he’s played for Liverpool’s first team, so hopefully his quality can shine through and he’ll put this night behind him quickly.