TNT Sports expert Peter Crouch said West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus "lost his head" in a sending-off incident which saw him hit Tottenham Hotspur players Micky van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr in the face.
The incident was a moment of frustration in a difficult afternoon for Julen Lopetegui's side. Kudus' opening goal in the first half was ultimately cancelled out by a superb second-half Spurs flurry as the north London side romped to 4-1 victory.
The Hammers' matters were made worse by Kudus' dismissal four minutes from time. The 24-year-old initially kicked Van de Ven twice on the ground before confronting the Spurs defender with a slap to the face.
Premier League 2024-2025
Villa and Brighton earn key away wins, Leicester stun Southampton with last-gasp comeback
A mass brawl soon broke out, and Richarlison also ended up on the ground after Kudus was pushed into the Brazil striker by Spurs' Pape Matar Sarr, to which the West Ham player retaliated by lashing out again.
Crouch ultimately felt Kudus "lost his head" in the incident, and praised Van de Ven's reticence in the aftermath.
"Completely lost his head," Crouch said. "I think Van de Ven did well to not react, because he stamped on him a couple times before, tried to kick the ball at him, stood on him a couple times then he gets a slap in the face.
"Richarlison goes down, somehow, it's all kicking off. He had to go. It was a complete loss of his head."
"I think the referee wanted to be sensible and not send anyone off because you have to have eyes on the back of your head there to see everything that's going on.
"So he's thought, I haven't seen it 100% so I'll give a yellow, then VAR goes 'you have a look at what he's done,' and he's given him no option.
"If players do that with VAR you're going to get sent off."
West Ham have suffered a difficult start to the season under their new manager Lopetegui, and their task of making a surge towards the more fruitful end of the Premier League table has been made harder by the three-match suspension of Kudus that will ensue.
Les Ferdinand said it will be a blow for West Ham as the Ghana international was their "best player", and feels the ban should not be extended any further than three matches.
"The frightening thing is he did all that and he was probably their best player and they're going to lose him for three games now," he said.
"I think the sending off is enough punishment, it was slaps - it wasn't anything else."
'One of the best' - Managers react to Tuchel becoming new England boss
THE INCIDENT - IN THE WORDS OF FLETCHER, MCCOIST
Upon the incident, TNT Sports commentators Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist engaged in a fierce debate over Kudus' punishment.
Fletcher: "I'll be amazed if he stays on the field. "
McCoist: "I'll be delighted if he stays on the field."
Fletcher: "But I'll be surprised."
McCoist: "It's a right hand to the face, it's not a punch, it's a push away. I know you're looking at me that way, it could be a red card."
* Madley brandishes yellow card
McCoist: "I'm pleased about that."
Fletcher: "You can't do that Ally and stay on the field I'm sorry, in days gone by when Glenn [Hoddle] was playing in this derby for Tottenham and Billy Bonds was on the other side I get it it's fine, we used to sit and have Sunday roast and watch it and say brilliant stuff but you can't do it anymore."
McCoist: "You've gone all soft on me."
* Replays show the full incident
Fletcher: "The only one I can forgive him for is Richarlison because he doesn't know he's behind him."
McCoist: "He's going to get a second yellow for that."
Fletcher: "Has to."
McCoist: "I'll be honest, I know you're looking at me, I'm probably old school. Give him a booking, let's get on with the game."
Fletcher: "I'm with you, but they're not going to do that. It just reminds me not to have a night out with you in Glasgow. If you consider this to be all fair in love and war."
* Madley brandishes red after VAR review
Fletcher: "Eventually, the right decision is taken. He just lost his mind from initially kicking Van de Ven twice on the ground to everything else that went on around him."
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Premier League 2024-2025
Son on goalscoring return after injury: I treat every game like the last of my career
Premier League 2024-2025
'Ange has a proven track record' - TNT Sports experts feel Postecoglou can end Spurs' trophy drought
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/10/19/image-2f6eb2fd-1156-4445-9194-334227a77a04-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
:focal(1264x210:1266x208)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/10/15/image-60a3328a-8d26-498e-9634-480bdc114a9b-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
