25 October 2009 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 25 October 2009, Manchester United center back Nemanja Vidić received a 90th-minute red card against Liverpool--his third ejection in three consecutive games against the Reds.

In both of the teams' meetings the previous season, Vidić failed to make it to the final whistle and both ended as Liverpool victories. The first, at Anfield in September 2008, saw the defender receive a second yellow card in the 90th minute as the Reds edged to a 2-1 win. In the return fixture in March, he drew a straight red for a 76th-minute foul on Steven Gerrard, who had gotten through on a clear goalscoring opportunity. Liverpool won 1-4.

Things got no better for Vidić in the next meeting. Playing at Anfield, Fernando Torres put the hosts up 1-0 in the 65th minute after fending off pressure from Rio Ferdinand and driving the ball over Edwin Van der Sar into the roof of the net. Ten minutes later, Vidić earned his first yellow card of the day.

His second came in the 90th minute. With Dirk Kuyt about to blow past him to latch onto a deep ball, the Serbian defender delivered a flying challenge that stopped Kuyt cold. Referee Andre Marriner then produced a yellow and a red card in quick succession. (It was the first of two reds on the day, as Javier Mascherano joined Vidić with a stoppage-time exit.) And David N'Gog's strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time sealed the 2-0 win for Liverpool.

22 September 2010 - Northampton Paints The Town Some Color Other Than Red

On 22 September 2010, fourth-division Northampton Town upset Liverpool in the League Cup, beating the Premier Leaguers on penalties.

Liverpool had already gotten off to a rough start in their first season under manager Roy Hodgson, winning one and losing two of their first five league games to drop down to sixteenth in the table. They expected a bit of relief in the League Cup against Northampton, who were sitting seventeenth in the League Two table, three divisions down, putting them 69 places below Liverpool.

But while Liverpool were entering the League Cup for the first time that season, going directly into the third round, Northampton had already played and beaten two higher-division clubs, advancing over League One's Brighton in the first round, then beating Championship side Reading on penalties in the second round.

The teams met at Anfield, where Liverpool had lost only once previously to a lower-division team in the League Cup (a 2001 loss to Grimsby Town). That record looked likely to hold when Liverpool went ahead after only eight minutes with a goal from Milan Jovanovic. But Billy McKay equalized for the visitors in the 56th minute and they stayed level until the end of regulation to force extra time.

There, Northampton took the lead with a goal from Michael Jacobs (98'), before David N'gog headed home in the 116th minute to bring the teams level again and send them into a penalty shootout. But after N'gog and Nathan Eccleston missed for Liverpool, Town's Abdul Osman converted his kick to win the day, 2-2 (2-4).

Unfortunately for Northampton, their giant-killing days were numbered and they fell to Ipswich Town in the fourth round.

15 August 2010 - Seeing Red With Double Vision

On 15 August 2010, Liverpool and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw that saw a debutant player for each side get ejected.

It was the first game of the season for both teams, with Liverpool hosting the Gunners at Anfield. The home supporters were eager to see their new midfielder, England international Joe Cole, signed from Chelsea earlier that summer on a free transfer. But his season started in an inauspicious fashion, as he received a straight red right before the break for a foul on Arsenal center back Laurent Koscielny, who was also making his first league start after moving from Lorient.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Liverpool took the lead at the start of the second half with a 46th-minute goal from striker David N'Gog and managed to hold onto it until right near the end. In the first minute of stoppage time, Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh bounced a cross off the post and into Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina, who knocked it over the line for an own-goal to bring the game level.

The day wasn't quite over, however, and Koscielny marked the occasion by receiving two stoppage-time yellow cards in quick succession, resulting in his ejection right before the final whistle.

13 July 2011 - There's A "Reds" Joke In There Somewhere

On 13 July 2011, Liverpool played in China for the first time, beating Guangdong Sunray Cave in a friendly, 4-3.

The match kicked off Liverpool's preseason Asian tour, which also included stops in Malaysia and South Korea. They had previously visited the region in 2009, when they played exhibitions in Thailand and Singapore. Their opponent in China, Guangdong, was founded in 2007 and had just been promoted from the league's third tier to the second.

Playing at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, the visitors got off to a strong start with early goals from Christian Poulsen (19') and David N'gog (21'), but Guangdong striker Ricardo Steer halved the margin just before the break.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish swapped his entire side out for the second half and got goals from Conor Coady (72') and new signing Andy Carroll (89') to push their lead to 4-1. But Guangdong scored twice in the 90th minute to close the final gap to a surprisingly narrow 4-3.

25 October 2009 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 25 October 2009, Manchester United center back Nemanja Vidić received a 90th-minute red card against Liverpool--his third ejection in three consecutive games against the Reds.

In both of the teams' meetings the previous season, Vidić failed to make it to the final whistle and both ended as Liverpool victories. The first, at Anfield in September 2008, saw the defender receive a second yellow card in the 90th minute as the Reds edged to a 2-1 win. In the return fixture in March, he drew a straight red for a 76th-minute foul on Steven Gerrard, who had gotten through on a clear goalscoring opportunity. Liverpool won 1-4.

Things got no better for Vidić in the next meeting. Playing at Anfield, Fernando Torres put the hosts up 1-0 in the 65th minute after fending off pressure from Rio Ferdinand and driving the ball over Edwin Van der Sar into the roof of the net. Ten minutes later, Vidić earned his first yellow card of the day.

His second came in the 90th minute. With Dirk Kuyt about to blow past him to latch onto a deep ball, the Serbian defender delivered a flying challenge that stopped Kuyt cold. Referee Andre Marriner then produced a yellow and a red card in quick succession. (It was the first of two reds on the day, as Javier Mascherano joined Vidić with a stoppage-time exit.) And David N'Gog's strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time sealed the 2-0 win for Liverpool.