West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has accused Swansea City defender Chico Flores of "over-exaggerating" the impact of a clash that led to Hammers striker Andy Carroll's dismissal at Upton Park this afternoon.
The former Newcastle United striker set up two goals for Kevin Nolan in the 2-0 Premier League win, before being shown a red card by referee Howard Webb as he appeared to hit Flores with his elbow midway through the second half.
Allardyce was unconvinced that Webb had an unobstructed view of the incident, and bemoaned what he saw as play-acting from Swansea's Spanish defender.
He told BT Sport: "I've just had a look at it and from our point of view I can't see why Howard has decided to give him a red card.
"His arm's gone over the top of his head and while his arm's swinging round, coming from a position where both players have tangled and are coming round to correct their balance, there were players running round to obscure (Webb's) view.
"So he can't be absolutely certain of what's happened, except that Chico Flores is over-exaggerating, which is generally the norm for him unfortunately. To clutch his face and roll around, I think that's had a big influence on Howard's decision, thinking that it's caught him in the face when it hasn't at all."
West Ham currently occupy 18th place in the Premier League table, but are level on points with West Bromwich Albion just above them.
Giuseppe Labellarte
