Nallo, 18, gets red card 4 minutes into debut as Liverpool tops Champions League despite first loss

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Amara Nallo will certainly remember his senior debut for Liverpool — all four minutes of it.

Liverpool was in the luxurious position of being able to play the kids in its final game of the Champions League’s revamped first stage, with qualification already secure.

Nallo, an 18-year-old defender, was one of them and it proved to be a bittersweet experience.

Four minutes after entering as a substitute in the 83rd, Nallo was shown a straight red card for a professional foul as Liverpool fell to a 3-2 loss at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. That result didn’t prevent the Premier League leaders from finishing in first place in the new league phase in Europe’s top competition.

“It is cruel,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said of Nallo’s sending-off, “but he has never played first-team football before and to make your debut in the Champions League is probably the hardest.

“He misinterpreted the situation and it’s a big moment to learn from. It is cruel when you think, ‘I’m making my Champions League debut’ but you go off a few minutes later. A career isn’t always positive, it also has negatives and he has to make sure he plays in this competition again.”

Nallo signed for Liverpool in May 2023 from West Ham, where he came through the academy. He has played for England’s under-18 and under-19 teams.

Jayden Danns played up front for Liverpool against PSV as the youngest player in the club’s history to start a game in the Champions League. Danns turned 19 on Jan. 16,

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were among the star players rested for the game.

Liverpool finished on 21 points, two more than second-place Barcelona, after winning its first seven games in the league stage.

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