Bruno Guimaraes picked up a very early yellow card for Newcastle United tonight, but on another night he could have seen red, at half time Gary Neville gave his view.
Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes found himself in the referee’s book after just nine minutes in tonight’s game against Leicester City after he left a high boot in on Boubakary Soumare. Replays showed his studs in Soumare’s thigh and it just kind of hung there for a good second or two before Guimaraes came away with the ball.
Sky Sports’ co-commentator for the night Andy Hinchcliffe certainly thought it was a red card, banging on about it for a good five minutes after the incident, but Gary Neville was less convinced.
Gary Neville felt that the referee got it right on the night
It was definitely one of those incidents that if it was a challenge on your player you’d be asking for the red card to be shown, but if it’s your guy making the foul you’d call it harsh as it was more of a coming together.
In the Sky Sports studio at half-time Gary Neville said: “I didn’t like it. I think he just got it right, just got it right. It was high and on the knee. The ball is there but he leaves it in there. Probably just right.”
I don’t think it’s too biased to say that I agree with Gary Neville here. It would have been a harsh red. There was definitely no malice in it, it was just a bit late and a bit too high.
Losing Bruno would have put a big downer on the night
It did look like Bruno was trying to pull out of the challenge but it was like his foot literally got stuck on Soumare’s leg and he couldn’t get himself free of the challenge.
On a night with so much at stake it would have been an awful way to finish the home season seeing Bruno sent off at any point of the game, never mind so early.
Anyway, Bruno stayed on and Newcastle went on to secure Champions League football!