Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has bemoaned the decision of referee Mark Clattenburg to dismiss Dwight Gayle in his side's defeat to West Ham United.
The Eagles were reduced to 10 men just before half time at Selhurst Park when Gayle was given his second booking for a rash challenge on Cheikou Kouyate with the score at 1-1.
However, Pardew believes that the 24-year-old should have been given a final warning rather than a red card by Clattenburg.
Pardew told BBC Sport: "I'm frustrated with the decision. Our striker gets booked for a bad challenge, quite rightly. The second challenge, the referee knows he's booked, he's missed it by a centimetre probably and he sends him off.
"I thought a man of his experience perhaps should have looked at that situation and given him his final warning. But to send him off really spoiled the occasion for everybody.
"I'm not excusing him from complete blame. The second challenge, he shouldn't make. He'll have to learn from that. Having said that, I still think it was very harsh to send him off."
The Hammers won the game courtesy of two late goals from Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet, which left Palace in sixth place in the table.
Simon Sinclair
