Gary Neville slams ‘ridiculous’ Xavi Simons red card in Tottenham’s clash with Liverpool

Tottenham midfielder Xavi Simons was sent off in the first half of their Premier League match against Liverpool after a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk, prompting fierce criticism from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

The 22-year-old Dutchman lunged at his international teammate while chasing the ball, raking his studs down Van Dijk’s calf without making contact with the ball. Referee John Brooks initially showed a yellow card, but after a VAR review and an on-pitch monitor check, upgraded it to a straight red card around the 30-minute mark.

Neville described the incident as entirely justified: “Simons was never going to get there. 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.”

The dismissal was classified as serious foul play, involving excessive force that endangers an opponent’s safety.
Since joining Tottenham from RB Leipzig for £52m in the summer, Simons has struggled for form, registering just one goal and two assists in the Premier League this season.
While acknowledging the player’s difficulties, Neville insisted there could be no complaints:

“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—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.”