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.