Cesc Fabregas Apologises for Red-Card Tackle in Chelsea vs. Liverpool ICC Match

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas went into the Reds' dressing room to apologise for the violent tackle on Ragnar Klavan that saw him sent off during the pre-season clash at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday.

The Spanish midfielder was sent off 20 minutes from the final whistle as Chelsea won the match 1-0. William Hill Betting shared footage of the challenge:

#ICYMI #CFC beat #LFC 1-0 in a 'friendly' in California. The match overshadowed by this Fabregas tackle & red card.https://t.co/ANoHRMLcbH

— William Hill Betting (@WillHillBet) July 28, 2016

Klopp said he was hopeful Klavan had escaped with just a slight knock, per James Pearce in the Liverpool Echo: "It's a red card and I hope it's not a mentality issue. [Fabregas] came in the dressing room and said sorry, he came too late in the challenge. Sometimes in life if you are too late then you get a red card. That's how it was. It was just a knock for Klavan. I think he will be OK."

The two Premier League sides met as part of the 2016 International Champions Cup in an encounter that was far from friendly.

As well as Fabregas' straight red, six players were shown yellow cards.

Blues centre-back Gary Cahill netted the only goal of the game, rising brilliantly to head home a Fabregas corner in the 10th minute.

In one of their first matches under new manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea were impressive at the back and were rarely troubled by Klopp's side, even when they were a man down in the final 20 minutes.

Fabregas' poor tackle was the main talking point after the game, and Conte acknowledged the clash was more competitive than a normal pre-season friendly because of the historic rivalry between the sides, per Chelsea:

Antonio Conte says it was a more competitive match than might be expected because neither team wanted to lose to the other. #CFC

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 28, 2016

Liverpool face further pre-season matches against AC Milan, AS Roma, Barcelona and Mainz 05 ahead of their Premier League season opener away at Arsenal on August 14.

Chelsea, meanwhile, open their 2016-17 English top-flight campaign at home to West Ham United following meetings with Real Madrid, Milan and Werder Bremen.

Having both endured disappointing domestic campaigns in 2015-16, Liverpool and Chelsea will be looking to make fast starts in the new season as they go in search of Premier League glory.