Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has said that Arsenal "conned" Alan Hutton into getting sent off during their midweek clash.
The former Tottenham fullback was dismissed after he was shown two cards in two minutes for late challenges on Thomas Vermaelen and Robin van Persie as the Villans lost their second game in a row.
However, McLeish believes that Arsenal striker Van Persie – who was seen waving to Hutton as he left the pitch – lured the Scot into the reckless challenge.
"I thought Alan was great," he said. "Although it didn't cost us the game, it was a shame to see him getting sent off after such a good performance.
"Van Persie was waving to him as he went down the tunnel. They conned him. Alan was conned and he should be experienced enough to just laugh in his face and walk away.
"Maybe the Arsenal player lured him into it but I didn't think he'd get conned like that, but there you go."
McLeish's side are now in 12th place in the Premier League, with 19 points from 17 games.
