Christian Pulisic denied man of the match prize against Liverpool because of US alcohol laws

Christian Pulisic was denied the man of the match award after Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win over Liverpool because the prize was sponsored by beer brand Heineken.

With the legal drinking age in the USA pegged at 21, Pulisic was denied his reward for a brilliant display against the Reds, the team that tried to sign him a year ago, in which he scored two and set up the other.

Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool centre-back, was instead named man of the match in the friendly that took place at the Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Liverpool went into half-time leading the Bundesliga giants, with Van Dijk’s towering header putting them in front.

But eight substitutions at the break disrupted the Reds’ rhythm and that is when Pulisic took over.

The American teenager was the star attraction for US fans and he equalised from the penalty spot before completing the turnaround with a well-taken low drive.

His shot was then spilled by Loris Karius, resulting in Bruun Larsen making it 3-1 to Dortmund.

Pulisic further gained the admiration of the crowd when a child invaded the pitch to try and speak to him as he was interviewed post-match. Security grappled him away in a heavy-handed manner but the Pennsylvania-born starlet broke off from his media duties to release the child from the clutches of heavy-handed bouncers and took a picture with the young fan.