Mason Holgate’s red card challenge on Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma has been labelled ‘scandalous’ and ‘one of the worst tackles I’ve seen in years’ by Jamie Redknapp.
The Sheffield United defender, on loan from Everton produced the shocking lunge on the Japanese winger just 13 minutes into the match in South Yorkshire.
The 27-year-old was initially shown a yellow card but after a VAR intervention it was rightly upgraded to red.
Sky Sports pundit Redknapp could scarcely believe what he had seen from the Blades defender, saying: ‘It’s an assault. It’s one of the worst tackles I’ve seen in years.
‘Even In my era that would have been a scandalous tackle.
‘How on earth Mitoma has managed to get his left leg out of the way I’ve no idea, thank goodness he has, otherwise that’s career ending. His career would be finished.
‘I feel so sorry for [Sheffield United manager] Chris Wilder in this instance because his best laid plans, let’s not make any mistakes or five anything away these first 10 minutes and you have a player that does that. I’ve got no idea what he’s thinking, but he’s cost his team. A scandalous tacke.’
Arsenal hero Perry Groves told talkSPORT: ‘100 per cent a red card. Mason Holgate, what is he doing?
‘That’s VAR at its best. What is he doing? He comes across with Mitoma running down the wing, and it’s reckless but not out of control.
‘He knows what he’s doing, he does take a little bit of the ball first and with his right foot he goes right across.
‘Mitoma does well, he knows the challenge is coming and that he can ride it, if he has a planted foot that’s a broken leg.’
Things only got worse for Sheffield United from there on in, with Brighton scoring five goals without reply at Bramall Lane and leaving the Blades bottom of the Premier League table.
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