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Gary Neville laid into Xavi Simons after a “ridiculous challenge” on Virgil van Dijk saw the Tottenham midfielder sent off in the first half of Spurs’ Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Simons was chasing down Van Dijk before lunging ambitiously towards the Liverpool captain, raking his studs down his Dutch compatriot’s calf while getting nowhere near the ball.
The 22-year-old was initially shown a yellow card by referee John Brooks before VAR intervened, advising him to the pitch-side monitor to review his decision.
The caution was subsequently upgraded to a straight red card as Simons was given his marching orders just after the half-hour mark, something co-commentator Neville thought was completely warranted.
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Xavi Simons saw red after a VAR review (REUTERS)
“Simons was never going to get there,” he said on Sky Sports’ broadcast of the game. “He rakes his studs right down the back of Van Dijk’s leg. That’s not clever. It’s a poor, poor challenge. It’s a ridiculous challenge.
“He is absolutely nowhere near the football. Malicious, nasty, reckless? Whatever you want to call it. Stupidity.
“Virgil van Dijk is six foot four and 15 stone. If it is the other way around, it’s a leg breaker.”
Simons saw red after his challenge was deemed as serious foul play, which constitutes as “a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality”.
Simons has struggled to make an impact at Tottenham since his £52m arrival from RB Leipzig in the summer, managing just a goal and two assists in the Premier League this season.
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The damage done to Virgil van Dijk’s sock after Simons’ challenge (Getty Images)
While able to sympathise with the Dutchman amid his on-pitch his struggles, Neville said Simons could have no complaints about the referee’s verdict, something that was demonstrated by the reaction of his teammates.
“Thomas Frank is having a whinge about it, but none of the Tottenham players are complaining. The ones who have seen it are going ‘what are you doing?’
“It’s the fact he’s nowhere near the ball. When you put your studs down someone’s ankle (or) calf like that from behind, you’re asking for big trouble.
“That’s a player that’s struggling. Struggling with his form, struggling mentally. He’s just tried to involve himself in the game by somehow trying to put a bit of fight into it, a bit of muscle into it, but that’s not the way to do it.”