Liverpool loanee receives red card after being BITTEN by rival – “I have got a bite mark!”

In an unusual incident, Liverpool loanee Owen Beck was sent off while playing for Blackburn after being bitten by Preston’s Milutin Osmajic during their 0-0 draw.

This may sound strange, but as Liverpool supporters can attest, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for a player to be bitten on the field.

The incident occurred on Sunday during a local Lancashire match between Blackburn and Preston. After a heated Championship clash that saw Preston’s Sam Greenwood controversially dismissed, tensions peaked in the 88th minute.

Owen Beck is OFF 🟥

Both sides are down to 10 men 💥 pic.twitter.com/8COc4YDE0O

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 22, 2024

With the score still level, the referee awarded an innocuous free-kick to Osmajic in Blackburn’s half. Preston substitute Dune Holmes then pushed Todd Cantwell, prompting Beck to kick out at Holmes, causing him to fall.

Osmajic reacted dramatically by approaching Beck from behind and biting him on the neck. Shocked, Beck turned to confront Osmajic but was restrained by Makhtar Gueye. The Liverpool left-back protested to the assistant referee, stating, “he bit me” and “I’ve got a bite mark,” while showing the marks on his neck.

After informing the unaware referee, Matt Donohue showed Beck a red card for his kick on Holmes during the scuffle. Replays will make it hard for Osmajic to refute Beck’s claims, and it will be interesting to see the outcome.

"The kid has took a big chunk out of his neck"

John Eustance says Owen Beck was bitten in the aftermath of his red card challenge 🟥 pic.twitter.com/HiMWhb2vEN

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 22, 2024

Blackburn manager John Eustace commented to Sky Sports: “That’s what happens in local derbies, you can see that the kid has taken a big chunk out of his [Owen Beck’s] neck. Owen was sent off for the tackle; their lad has made a big scene of it, but it was harsh.

There were a lot of cheap fouls and cards given against us. We are disappointed that we have lost Owen for three games. We will make sure Owen is OK.”

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom remarked: “I’ve just been told that there is a claim of a bite; we will have to wait and see what happens with that. We don’t want biting on the football pitch; that is not allowed.”

What was the duration of Luis Suarez’s ban?

As for Luis Suarez, he is the most notable player to have bitten opponents during matches, doing so three times throughout his career. His first incident occurred in 2010 when he received a seven-match ban for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal while at Ajax.

He bit Branislav Ivanovic in a Liverpool game against Chelsea in 2013, resulting in a 10-game suspension. Remarkably, he bit Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup, leading to a nine-match international ban and a four-month suspension from all football-related activities.