Andy Carroll became the West Ham United villain after being sent off during the Hammers’ Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday.
Despite Slaven Bilic’s men putting themselves in front through Michail Antonio at Turf Moor, the Irons were left with a huge task trying to bag the three points as Carroll was booked, and then sent off soon after, before the half-hour mark had even been reached.
The two cautions were similar, with Carroll being penalised for using his arms when challenging for a header. And Zabaleta has criticised his teammates, suggesting that the 28-year-old had been nasty when trying to win the ball.
“We can talk sometimes about situations with the referee and we can complain about some fouls, but there is nothing to say about the referee today. I think these two challenges, Andy’s challenges, were a bit nasty.”
The public criticism from a teammate – and one who only recently joined the club, at that – surely highlights how costly the West Ham team feel Carroll’s dismissal was.
Burnley would ultimately bag a share of the points, and the frustration over the late equaliser may have perhaps led some of Carroll’s teammates to turn on the striker given the stupidity of the red card.
And West Ham fans will be hoping that Carroll is fully determined to redeem himself when he is next given the chance to get out on the pitch, so the next public comments from a teammate about him are only positive.
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