Jonjo Shelvey received his marching orders during Newcastle’s 1-0 loss to Everton.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has told Sky Sports that Martin Atkinson was correct to show Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey a red card on Wednesday night.
Shelvey, 25, was shown two yellow cards, the first coming towards the end of the first half, as he scythed down speed machine Aaron Lennon who looked to dribble the forward at speed to form a counter attack.
His second yellow came with just seconds remaining on the clock, as Atkinson showed him a second yellow card for a slide tackle on Idrissa Gueye. It is the six-time England international’s second red card this season.
Speaking on Thursday’s Premier League Daily Show, Gallagher stated that he simply cannot defend the former Liverpool and Swansea City ace as he is now banned for Saturday’s trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.
“There’s no need to make the first tackle – the Everton player has got lots of space to run into,” Gallagher said, when quizzed on the first yellow card.
“The second one is also a yellow card any day of the week. There’s nothing I can say to defend him.”
Gallagher’s verdict on Shelvey’s red card sees him disagree with Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy, who believes that Shelvey’s genuine attempt to play the ball should have been taken into account.
Newcastle suffered their seventh loss in eight Premier League outings, as Wayne Rooney prodded the ball home after Karl Darlow had spilled an Aaron Lennon header at the feet of the former England captain.
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