Breaking: Liverpool's Alisson Becker shown red card against Brighton
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker received his marching orders for a handball outside the box, in the Reds' Premier League encounter against Brighton & Hove Albion. With Jurgen Klopp's side firmly in the driving seat at 2-0, the Brazilian shot-stopper charged needlessly and stopped the ball with his hand as Leandro Trossard tried to dink it over him, which gave the referee no choice but to send him off.
Alisson's sending-off resulted in Klopp bringing on Spanish goalkeeper Adrian who joined Liverpool this summer to replace the outgoing Simon Mignolet. The former West Ham man had made an unexpected debut for his new club in the opening game of the Premier League, as Alisson hobbled off with a thigh injury.
In Liverpool's UEFA Super Cup tie against Chelsea, the 31-year-old was the matchwinner on his full debut for the club as he capped off a solid performance by saving Tammy Abraham's penalty in the shootout, etching his name in Liverpool folklore.
Adrian, however, wasn't able to keep the visitors at bay as Lewis Dunk got one back for Brighton via a quickly taken free-kick which caught the Reds off-guard. Liverpool's wait for a clean sheet at Anfield in the Premier League will stretch further but Klopp's side managed to hold on to the lead to secure three points. A Manchester City draw earlier in the day means that the Reds are now 11 points clear of the defending champions in the title race.
By virtue of his straight red card, Alisson will miss the Merseyside Derby against arch-rivals Everton and it remains to be seen if the Reds cope well in his absence. The Reds have already lost Fabinho to a long-term injury and cannot afford to lose any more key players, going into the festive period.