Liverpool stars put boot into Gnagnon after shocking tackle on Larouci

Liverpool stars rounded on Sevilla defender Joris Gnagnon after his shocking challenge on left-back Yasser Larouci in the friendly defeat in Boston.

The Reds slipped to their second successive defeat on their three-game tour of the US, but the result was overshadowed by an ugly incident that saw Sevilla star Gnagnon lash out at Larouci.

The wild kick rightly earned him a straight red card and saw the 18-year-old Larouci leave the pitch on a stretcher in the second half.

An angry Virgil van Dijk immediately confronted Gnagnon at full time and Milner was critical of the shocking tackle after what was a feisty affair at Fenway Park.

Van Dijk said: “To put in a tackle like that, especially on a young player who has been doing so well in pre-season, I think it says something about him…”

Milner told LFCTV: “Was it too much? I thought so yes, it was a disgraceful tackle.

“We know it’s only a friendly, but I mean, you don’t see many red cards in friendlies, do you.

“Their guy said it is down to the referee and it’s a tackle and a foul, but it’s very disappointing. We [responded] in the right way.

“It is a tough one for the referee because you don’t want to use red cards in a lot in friendlies and it is a rare thing to see.

“It’s not easy to get hold of the game, you don’t normally see too many tackles [like Gnagnon’s] but it is a disgrace really.”

As for the defeat on Boston, Milner was not too upset, adding: “It can be a good thing. Obviously, coming off the back of the success means sometimes it’s easy to get complacent.

“I am not saying we are that, but we have had lot of young players in the team and we’re finding out how were playing with each other.

“We know how high our standards are but it’s early days. It’s all money in the bank and it will be a piece of cake when we get it to one game a week when it starts.”

Read more: Liverpool are reportedly readying an offer to sign Augsburg left-back Philipp Max.

 

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Virgil van Dijk James Milner Yasser Larouci

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