Liverpool loanee 'has big chunk taken out of his neck' as Championship rival bites him

Blackburn defebder Owen Beck, on loan from Liverpool, was the victim of an alleged bite on the neck from his opponent as he was sent off in their 0-0 draw away to Preston.

A feisty affair also saw the hosts’ Sam Greenwood shown a red card in the first half, before Beck was giving his marching orders in the 89th minute for a tussle with Duane Holmes.

However, footage has since emerged of another Preston player, Milutin Osmajic, appearing to bite Beck on the back of his neck. That incident was not spotted by the on-field referee but he could face a FA ban.

Beck had been grabbed around the back by Osmajic and seemed to bite the 22-year-old, who turned around with a puzzled and furious look on his face after complaining about the pain in a melee between the two teams.

Blackburn boss John Eustace claimed that “the kid (Osmajic) has took a big chunk out of his neck” and shared Owen’s reaction in the dressing room.

“I haven’t really seen it, he went to clear the ball and possibly caught the lad,” Eustace said. “He’s got a big bite mark on the back of his neck. It’s a shame the referee didn’t see that as well.

“He’s got a big bite mark. He has been in and shown the lads. He’s very disappointed to be sent off and you don’t expect him to have that either.

“He’s a bit quiet in there and a bit shaken up. I don’t know if he spoke to the referee, I’m not sure if it was before or after the red. He might want to speak to the officials about it.

“It’s a very serious incident, nobody likes to be bitten. Everyone is angry about it, it’s not a nice situation to be in. I’m sure the right people will see it and deal with it.

“The way the second half went, Preston managed the game very well. I think the referee got sucked into the cheap fouls and the yellow cards. It certainly got the Preston fans up and rightly so. I am happy with more boys.”

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez famously received a 10-match ban in 2013 for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

The following year he bit Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup and was suspended from all football activity for four months.