Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was on the receiving end of an egregious tackle from Anthony Gordon that resulted in a red card for the Newcastle United player.
Arne Slot’s side were building up from the back towards the end of the first half. Van Dijk was on the ball weighing his options when a charging Gordon caught him with a flying tackle. The England international went into the challenge high, contacting Van Dijk’s right calf with his studs as his momentum brought down the Dutchman.
Van Dijk immediately grabbed at his calf as he fell to the ground in pain. After initially judging the tackle to be deserving of a yellow card, referee Simon Hooper changed his mind following a quick VAR check, dismissing Gordon from the match with a red card.
The mark on Virgil van Dijk's leg after that challenge from Anthony Gordon... pic.twitter.com/cOIjMCPYsA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 25, 2025
The Dutchman was seen talking to other players on the pitch, pointing to his calf as if to provide evidence of why Gordon had to be sent-off. Cameras were able to zoom in on the back of Van Dijk’s leg and two stud-marks running down his calf were visible.
Even prior to Liverpool and Newcastle kicking-off at St. James’ Park, the expectation was for it to be a tense, hard-fought affair. The Reds went up 2–0 thanks to goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitiké. However, 10-man Newcastle fought back with goals from Bruno Guimarães and William Osula in the second half. Still, Liverpool showed their resiliency as 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored a game-winner in his Premier League debut to escape with all three points.
Van Dijk, as well, completed the full game as Liverpool fans exhaled a sigh of relief given how pivotal the club captain is to repeating as Premier League champions this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Virgil Van Dijk Reveals Nasty Mark From Anthony Gordon’s Red Card Challenge.
