David Moyes, the manager of Everton, expressed his anger at what he deemed a “ridiculous” decision that resulted in Michael Keane being sent off for pulling the hair of Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare during a 1-1 draw.
The goalscoring defender received a red card in the 83rd minute after tugging at the striker’s long hair during an aerial challenge.
Shortly after, Jack Grealish was also sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession—his first Premier League red card— for dissent, including a sarcastic clap directed at referee Tom Kirk, who was officiating only his second match at this level.
Moyes was likely just as disappointed with his team’s performance, as they allowed the league’s bottom side back into the match when 18-year-old Matheus Mane scored for the second consecutive game. However, he primarily focused his criticism on the officiating.
“It wasn’t violent, forceful, or intentional, so none of those reasons justify a red card,” Moyes stated after his team’s missed opportunity to narrow the gap to fourth place by three points.
“I felt it was a poor decision to send him to the screen in the first place. [Marc] Cucurella had his hair pulled [by João Neves in the Club World Cup final]—that was violent conduct, a deliberate action, and I have no problem with that.
“But this incident was part of the game, in the context of a ball coming in. Unless you’ve played the game, you might not understand. As a centre-back, I wouldn’t be thinking about pulling someone’s hair while trying to out-jump a forward.”
“I don’t know anyone in the world who could think that way while jumping. I found it ridiculous that the referee, and especially VAR, made such a call.”
“It can’t be classified as violent conduct for that. I just cannot see how it warranted a sending off. Why would this be a red card while other fouls are overlooked? It’s absurd. It’s unacceptable.”
Moyes was less vocal regarding Grealish’s lack of discipline, which adds to his team’s troubles as Keane will now serve a three-match suspension.
When asked if he needed to address Grealish’s behavior with the player and the team, he replied, “I already have.”
Wolves manager Rob Edwards, whose team has shown improvement after a dismal stretch of 11 consecutive league defeats, was frustrated that his side failed to exploit their opponents’ mistakes. “With them down to nine men, I was disappointed we didn’t do more to capitalize,” Edwards said. “We didn’t challenge them effectively and likely played right into their hands.”
Although Wolves are still 14 points away from safety, Edwards remains determined. “It’s a tough challenge, but we’ll keep fighting. We’re professionals; we won’t back down, and we’ll keep battling until the final match of the season,” he added.