Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme was sent off during the 3-1 Championship loss to Norwich City – after an altercation with Wes Hoolahan.
Having conceded an early goal to Norwich City, goalkeeper Carl Ikeme saw his side gain a foothold in the game following a second-half Helder Costa penalty.
However, within a matter of minutes, Ikeme’s afternoon was to significantly influence the outcome of the Championship encounter.
Despite Norwich experiencing the better of the clash – with more possession and shots on goal than their visitors from the midlands – Wolves appeared to be holding out for a share of the points.
That is until Norwich’s Wes Hoolahan appeared to fall to the ground under very little pressure, or contact, from Ikeme.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper, and a number of disbelieving Wolves defenders, took exception to what they perceived to be play-acting from the Ireland international – with the protests turning into a mini-brawl.
In the midst of the melee, Ikeme appeared to push Hoolahan in the chest, with the Norwich man proceeding to fall to the ground in a somewhat theatrical manner.
Nonetheless, referee David Coote awarded a penalty to the home side – before taking Ikeme’s afternoon from bad to worse by serving the ‘keeper with a red card.
Many an observer felt a sense of sympathy for Ikeme, citing a range of reasons – ranging from the concept of double jeopardy, to the belief that Hoolahan cheated to gain the penalty and subsequent dismissal of the Wolves player.
The man himself has taken the opportunity to ponder on the incident before issuing his thoughts on social networking site Twitter.
Ikeme, clearly eager to offer his take on the penalty decision and his sending off, let his frustrations be known – in addition to confirming his belief that Hoolahan had indeed dived to secure the spot kick.
Perhaps not entirely satisfied with the character limit, the Wolves number 1 submitted another tweet to continue his disbelief with the resultant reaction of Hoolahan – which ultimately caused his sending off – alongside providing an apology to all supporters of the Molineux club.
Finally, Ikeme released one last tweet on his evidently unjust take on the issue, by outlining his acceptance of the situation and the non-existent personal gripe with either Norwich or Hoolahan himself.
It appears that emotive bygones look set to remain bygones. However, Ikeme will surely feel some sense of lingering disappointment, as a looming suspension means that he is likely to miss the upcoming FA Cup clash with Premier League side Liverpool.
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