Rush of blood.
Shane Duffy had no-one to blame but himself, on Tuesday, when he was given his marching orders in Brighton’s 3-1 win over Crustal Palace.
The Ireland international has been going well for Chris Hughton’s men in recent months but he put them in a spot of bother by getting too aggressive with Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt.
Duffy swung around as he was heading back towards his own goal and leaned his forehead into van Aanholt’s. The referee was mere feet away from the incident and Duffy was shown a straight red.
Duffy was quick to come out and apologise to Brighton supporters for his recklessness, as well as praising the home support.
Can only apologise to everyone tonight for letting use down. Grateful for the team we have here for a huge win tonight the boys were unbelievable! I’m disappointed in myself for even getting myself into the situation. What a win !! 🔵⚪️ @OfficialBHAFC
— Shane Duffy (@shaneduffy) December 4, 2018
The fact of the matter, however, is that Duffy will now miss three Premier League fixtures.
- Burnley – 8th December
- Chelsea – 16th December
- Bournemouth – 22nd December
The post-match comments from Hughton do not bode well for the Derry native when he is cleared to return. “There is no hiding place for what Shane Duffy did.
“He knows better than that because he is an experienced international player. No one will know more than him that he can’t get away with that.
“Unfortunately we will miss him for three games now due to suspension and that is a shame at this busy time of the season, but it is an opportunity for someone else.”
Pretty emphatic in his disappointment there.
Following the game, Duffy’s centre-back partner Lewis Dunk praised the remaining players on the pitch for pushing on, and building on their 1-0 lead, after the sending odd. He told the Brighton & HA website:
“We’ve had to do it the hard way being down to 10 men, but we’ve shown the character we have within the side with the way we responded and won the game.”
Brighton’s win sees them climb to 10th in the league.
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