Hull City boss Ruben Selles has shared his verdict on Joao Pedro’s sending-off in the Tigers’ draw with Bristol City, admitting he didn’t see anything in the striker’s challenge that warranted a red card.
Liam Manning’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Ashton Gate, with Anis Mehmeti’s 12th goal of the season in the second-half enough to cancel out Pedro’s first-half opener.
Selles’ side took the lead after just 13 minutes when the 32-year-old forward brilliantly spun Rob Dickie, leaving the City forward face down on the turf, before calmly slotting past Max O’Leary in the Robins’ net. From a City perspective, it was a frustrating goal to concede, but the move which led to the opener was well-worked by the away side.
However, just a minute after his strike, Pedro was given his marching orders by referee James Linington. Quickly after the restart, the Italian striker lept into a two-footed challenge on George Tanner midway inside the Hull half and Linington was quick to brandish the red card before sending the forward down the tunnel.
Although Selles remained coy when asked about the official’s performance in general at Ashton Gate, the Tigers’ boss didn’t feel his striker’s challenge warranted a straight dismissal and admitted Hull would consider their options in regard to an appeal.
“I think to put that thing on Joao (the need to make the challenge in the first place) is a little bit too much,” Selles said in his post-match press conference. “We need to review if that’s a red card or not because if we do (think it’s a red card), it’s probably going to end up being seven against eight in a lot of games.
“I don’t think we need to speak about Joao there because I don’t see anything there that indicates that that can be a sending-off.”
Pedro’s red card was enough to completely shift the momentum for the remainder of Saturday afternoon’s clash. Having had the better of the opening exchanges, Hull spent the next 76 minutes, and stoppage time, camped on the edge of their own penalty area facing wave after wave of City attack.
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In total, the Robins had 25 attempts on Ivor Pandur’s goal, only nine of which hit the target. For all their possession and smart build-up play, the Reds’ only goal in the game came from the penalty spot when Mehmeti confidently found the bottom left corner after Sinclair Armstrong was fouled in the Tigers’ box.
While Selles felt his team would have managed to head back to Humberside with all three points had Linington not brandished the red card early in the first half, he was delighted with the endeavour the Tigers demonstrated whilst their backs were against the wall.
“Absolutely,” the Hull head coach replied when asked if it was the sort of performance that made a manager proud. “That’s what we should talk about today. About how big was the team effort for the entire game with 11 players just being on top of the game scoring that goal, being the best team on the pitch, and then with 10 players, fighting for the three points and therefore the point.
“Every single moment of the game, the togetherness, the team spirit and the way that we do things, I think it was good to see. Sometimes you need to go through those difficult moments to see what you truly have in the dressing room, and I think it was a good way to show it.
“We scored a goal because we were the team on top in the game, and I think if we continued with 11, we would still be on top.”