Liverpool ace Virgil van Dijk did not accept his red card against Newcastle United for a simple reason.

The Netherlands and Reds star will serve a two-match ban, with one game added for the dissent he showed the referee after the red.

Van Dijk did not think he deserved a red card at Newcastle, as he had gotten away with a similar challenge previously.

Van Dijk said to the commission handling his case: “Mr Brooks and Mr Pawson [referees] accepted my apology and acknowledged that they understood the emotion of the game had been a significant factor."

On his behalf, Liverpool added: “The player wishes to convey that his frustration arose from his genuine belief that his tackle on Alexander Isak was a fair challenge and not a foul.

“In our discussions with the player about the incident, he has explained to us that he did the same or a very similar tackle against Dominic Solanke during the match against Bournemouth the week before and that tackle was not deemed a foul.

“This seemingly inconsistent approach contributed to the player's frustration."