Gary Neville eviscerates Spurs star Cristian Romero for late Liverpool red card - 'stupidity'

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Gary Neville launched a scathing attack on Cristian Romero after Tottenham were reduced to nine men during the closing stages of their Premier League encounter with Liverpool . Romero received his marching orders from referee Craig Pawson for a second bookable offence, lashing out at Ibrahima Konate, following Xavi Simons' earlier dismissal for a reckless tackle on Virgil van Dijk.

Commenting on the incident, Gary Neville told Sky Sports : "Has he done something on the ground with Konate? He's not right, him, is he?

"He just literally - he cost his team a goal with the first goal, they're just about to get back in it, or have a chance of getting back in it; he does that. I mean, what is he doing? What is he doing?

"Forget the fact that it's madness because he's already on a yellow card, his team have got a chance to get a goal back. Who's he shouting at? Get in the dressing room.

"Absolute madness from him, it really is. He's left the referee nowhere to go." Reviewing the replay, he added: "There's the little kick, right in front of the referee. He's only two or three yards from him. Stupidity."

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Romero will now be suspended for Spurs' upcoming fixture against Crystal Palace and sits just two bookings away from a further two-match suspension. His initial caution came after protesting to Pawson that Hugo Ekitike had committed a foul in the build-up to his goal.

Whilst Jamie Redknapp conceded it was indeed a foul, he also slammed Romero for his behaviour, with the ex-Spurs midfielder likening him to a "four-year-old".

He said: "What Romero did was what Romero does. It was just ridiculous to get involved right in front of the referee, and just kick out at someone. It's just so stupid. If my four-year-old did that I'd go 'what are you doing?' Ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Neville had harsh words for Simons after his extremely late tackle on Van Dijk.

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Pawson originally brandished a yellow card but after VAR stepped in, it was upgraded to a red.

The pundit said: "Simons was never going to get there. He rakes his studs right down the back of Van Dijk's leg. That's not clever. It's a poor, poor challenge. It's a ridiculous challenge.

"He is absolutely nowhere near the football. Malicious, nasty, reckless? Whatever you want to call it. Stupidity.

"Virgil van Dijk is six foot four and 15 stone. If it is the other way around, it's a leg breaker."