Pepe Reina has apologized to his Liverpool team-mates for the red card that has ruled him out of the Wembley FA Cup semi-final derby against Everton.
Reina was dismissed eight minutes from time for aiming a headbutt at Newcastle United defender James Perch as two goals from Papiss Cisse sent Kenny Dalglish’s side tumbling to a 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park.
It was a sixth loss in seven league games for the Anfield outfit, their worst such sequence since the 1953-54 season in which they were relegated.
While there was no contact between Reina and Perch, Dalglish had no complaints with the sending-off that leaves the Spaniard facing a three-match ban.
And asked if the goalkeeper had apologized in the dressing room, the Liverpool manager said: “There was a bit of remorse there, yes.
“We started the game well enough, passed and moved and looked pretty threatening. But it all ended up with a lot of frustration and disappointment.
“The frustration and disappointment led to the actions that Pepe took. He got a deserved red card.”
Reina will also sit out the forthcoming Premier League games against Aston Villa and Blackburn, with Brazilian keeper Doni in line to make his competitive debut for Liverpool.
Andy Carroll was given a hostile reception by the home supporters on his first return to Newcastle since leaving for Liverpool in January 2011, and allowed his frustration to boil over when storming straight down the tunnel after being substituted late on.
Dalglish, though, refused to overly-criticize the striker, and said: “When Andy came off, the way the game had gone for the team and that frustration has taken him up the tunnel and into the dressing room.
“Andy was just frustrated and disappointed with the way the game had panned out. I thought he had played well.
“We don’t have a problem with desperation, frustration and disappointment, but we need to channel it better than we have done.”
Carroll had earlier been booked for diving by referee Martin Atkinson after tumbling over Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul inside the penalty area.
“We have no qualms with when Andy went down with the goalkeeper,” said Dalglish. “I thought it wasn’t a penalty and Andy was losing his balance anyway, even if he’d got past the keeper he’d have fallen over.
“We don’t have a problem with that except the yellow card. I just thought Andy had lost his balance and I don’t think it was him intentionally looking for a penalty kick.”
Liverpool should have been awarded a spot-kick moments before Cisse’s 19th-minute opener when Newcastle defender Danny Simpson cleared off the line with his left arm.
And Dalglish added: “We could have had a penalty in the first half which would have put them down to 10 men, but we never got it.
“We just have to carry on and if we shout louder maybe we will get more decisions.
“There were a lot of times we created openings but we have got to take them and believe in ourselves.”
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