Sheffield United: Mason Holgate’s red card ‘cost team massively’ – MOTD2

Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer believes centre-back Mason Holgate’s straight red card “cost them massively” as Brighton went on to hit five goals past the Blades at Bramall Lane.

“It was a terrible challenge. It was going to be a very difficult day anyway for Sheffield United – Mason Holgate made it into an impossible day for Sheffield United,” ex-Newcastle United captain Shearer told Match of the Day 2.

“If you’re a team-mate of his, you’re going in there at half-time and you’re going mad at him because he’s cost them massively. He’s made the players have to work perhaps a lot harder than they should have at times. But it’s an awful challenge, a terrible challenge. There’s no doubt about it that it deserved a red card.”

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman added: “We can’t understand how he [Kaoru Mitoma] managed to play on in the game. I’m not sure that I’ve seen a worse tackle, certainly this season, and I’m trying to search my mind for a worse tackle than that.

“I don’t know if he’s seen red. I don’t think anything aggressive happened in the game. I don’t know why he felt the need to make that tackle – it wasn’t in a dangerous position on the field. He’s certainly put his opponent’s career in danger with that tackle.”

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