Mark Clattenburg has delivered an instant reaction as Cristian Romero got sent off as Manchester United beat Tottenham in the Premier League.
The Argentina international started the game at Old Trafford, but was forced to take an early bath, with referee Michael Oliver handing him a straight red card.
The game ended 2-0 in favour of the hosts, and Tottenham remain in 14th place on the Premier League table.
Cristian Romero should be stripped of the Tottenham captaincy after this…
He has let his team down way too many times! 😠
Mark Clattenburg shares if Cristian Romero’s challenge on Casemiro was serious foul play
Romero had eyes only for the ball and recklessly threw himself into a challenge on Casemiro, who was in possession.
However, the 27-year-old missed the ball completely and made contact with the Brazilian’s foot.
This saw the soon-to-depart United midfielder instantly fall to the floor and the pain was evident on his face.
👀 Use ONE WORD to summarise your feelings on Tottenham captain Cristian Romero calling out The Lewis Family…
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The VAR agreed with Oliver’s decision to send off Romero and the Spurs defender was given his final marching orders.
Speaking exclusively to The Spurs News, former Premier League referee Clattenburg said: “Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur overruns the ball and overstretches into a tackle with Casemiro of Manchester United.
“It is not a great tackle, and catches Casemiro on the ankle with his studs.
“To meet the criteria of a red card for serious foul play, there must be some force, force and malice and this tackle certainly meets this criteria and could easily have endangered the safety of his opponent.
“Once Michael Oliver shows the red card, VAR would not get involved to downgrade this, even if some people say he is unlucky, as he wants to play the ball.”
How did Romero react once the decision went against him?
There was little protest from the Argentine when Oliver took out the red card from his pocket.
Usually, players appear to be shocked or are actually bemused by the official’s decision to send them off.
However, he seemed to accept his fate almost instantaneously and went to check on Casemiro to see if he was able to continue.
Fortunately, the midfielder was able to continue and had a conversation with Michael Carrick about it as well.
Before Romero walked off the pitch, he had a discussion with his compatriot Lisandro Martinez and it did not seem to be a heated exchange.