Micky van de Ven was "fortunate not to have suffered a debilitating injury" from a challenge by Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, a Football Association regulatory commission has said.
Mateta was sent off for the foul, which came in the 13th minute of the Eagles' 2-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on 31 October.
The France international was initially shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver, which was upgraded to red after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Palace's appeal was turned down by the regulatory commission last week, with the written reasons now published.
The verdict of the three members of commission was unanimous, with strong feelings about the nature of the foul.
In their evidence, Palace argued that "their player's challenge was controlled, directed solely at winning the ball, and did not involve excessive force, brutality, or any action that endangered the safety of his opponent".
The South London club also believed that Van de Ven's movement was a contributory factor, and the VAR review was unnecessary because Oliver had "the best evidence of the true speed and intensity of the challenge".
In reaching its judgement, the commission said that Mateta "reached for the ball with a lunging action along the ground with a straight leg and his studs showing" which caught the Netherlands international "with gathering momentum".
In the written reasons, it was added: "The commission did not accept that the player's contact with his opponent was because of his opponent's movement and, if anything, felt the opponent was fortunate not to have suffered a debilitating injury."
It also said there was "no circumstances this incident could in any way be deemed truly exceptional" to reduce the suspension from three matches.