Jamie Carragher launched a scathing attack on Edson Alvarez following the West Ham United midfielder’s red card in their 5-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool.
Alvarez was sent off in the 77th minute for a reckless sliding tackle on Mo Salah, just 11 minutes after receiving his first yellow card for a similar challenge on Kostas Tsimikas.
At the time of the red card, West Ham were trailing 3-1 but had shown signs of life in the second half. However, Alvarez’s dismissal all but extinguished any hopes of a comeback.
Adding to the Hammers’ woes, the Mexican international will now miss their Premier League fixture against Brentford this weekend.
Carragher did not hold back in his criticism during Sky Sports’ live coverage of the match, calling Alvarez’s decision to make the tackle “stupid” given the circumstances.
“West Ham are so close to getting a goal – and they probably deserve a goal in the second half,” said Carragher on Sky Sports Main Event after the red card (25 September, 9:32pm).
“It’s a really stupid decision when you’re on a yellow card.
“There are two or three players around Mo Salah, it’s not on his own.
“It certainly wasn’t last-ditch. It takes the game away from West Ham now with them being down to 10 men.”
At 9:50pm, Carragher added that it was an “absolutely ridiculous” red card.
West Ham’s disappointing Carabao Cup exit compounds what has been a frustrating start to the season for the Hammers, despite their much-lauded transfer window.
Many had tipped them for a strong campaign after some high-profile summer signings, but their early-season form has left much to be desired.
With the Carabao Cup often seen as a realistic chance for silverware, especially for clubs like West Ham, Alvarez’s ill-advised challenge now leaves them with little hope of lifting a trophy this season.
At 3-1 down with more than 10 minutes left to play, the game still appeared salvageable, particularly after Michail Antonio’s introduction in the second half gave the Irons more of a threat going forward.
Yet Alvarez’s reckless lunge on Salah, which led to his dismissal, snuffed out any chance of a late revival and turned what was already a difficult night into an embarrassing one.
Alvarez’s absence for the Brentford match will be a blow, but even if available, he might have found himself on the bench after what has been a troubled start to his season.
Julen Lopetegui, who is already under pressure at the London Stadium, may now need to rethink his midfield options as West Ham look to recover from this setback.