Speaking to Football Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has insisted that Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has himself to blame for his dismissal against Crystal Palace.
The 27-year-old was shown a second yellow card against the Eagles on Boxing Day, after fouling Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, whilst he was trying to start a counter-attack.
Mings had previously been involved in a scuffle with Zaha earlier in the first half, which saw both players booked for their roles in the incident.
Former referee Halsey labelled Mings as ‘silly’ for his second yellow card, and insisted that he couldn’t have any complaints after being sent-off by Anthony Taylor.
“I think Mings has got himself to blame in that situation. I mean, everyone knows what Zaha is like, he’s got a short fuse, we all know that.
“So why does Mings get involved? Mings did show a little bit of petulance by sort of coming down hard on him on the back of his leg or the back of his hamstring and there was no need to do that.
“On the second one, Mings has given Anthony Taylor nowhere to go for a second caution for a holding offence. Zaha knew exactly what he was doing and as I said, Mings was silly, you know, he was silly, and he’s got no complaints.”
Aston Villa didn’t let Mings’ dismissal have a negative impact on them in this one though, as they went on to run out comfortable 3-0 winners at Villa Park.
Mings missed their recent draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and will be hoping he can come straight back into the starting XI for when they return to action against Manchester United on New Year’s Day.
The defender has been an important member of the Aston Villa squad, and has made 14 appearances in total for the club this season, as they continue to impress in the Premier League, with the Villans sat fifth in the top-flight standings.