Tony Mowbray gives verdict on Luke O'Nien red card against Swansea

How did Tony Mowbray see Luke O'Nien's red card in Sunderland's defeat to Swansea?

Tony Mowbray felt the referee got the decision to send off Luke O’Nien right, with him describing the challenge as ‘overly-aggressive.’

Sunderland started brightly against the Swans, and were making all the early running in the game.

The game, though, changed massively in that moment, and that was a frustration for Mowbray.

“I haven't watched the incidents back, but my instant reaction to the red was that with the ferocity of the tackle, and the fact that he's missed the ball, I think the ferocity of the challenge is what has got him the red card,” Mowbray said.

“It's modern-day football and you have to accept it. I think the speed of the challenge is what gets the red card. It was obviously a long afternoon for us after that against a team that plays possession football, it's difficult enough to play with 11 against 11.

"Luke has apologised to the team and it's done now, we move on."

O’Nien’s challenge came at a moment when the crowd were in uproar at referee Keith Stroud failing to award a penalty for a foul on Amad Diallo.

Mowbray believed O’Nien got himself caught up in that, but he probably should have had more experience than that.

“Luke’s a very level-headed kid,” said Mowbray. “Yet I think it’s quite natural to get wrapped up in the game. It felt as if for a spell, the supporters could be our 11th man and make it an even game as such. The crowd can play such an important part, but maybe they overwound Luke O’Nien up a bit.

“My job today was to try to make sure these players played with intensity against this team that were coming to try to dominate the ball, and I thought we did it brilliantly well for however long it was before the sending off.

“Luke was stepping out from a central-defensive position into a midfield area, where their number nine had dropped down, and we’d talked about how the centre-halves had to drop in with them because they play in the spaces.

“It was just an overly-aggressive challenge. I’ve told him that. There was no need for that intent, yet you can imagine if he had made real clean contact and the ball had flown 50 yards up the field, the crowd would have roared and it would have kept the momentum going. 

"Ultimately, though, on the back of that decision, the game swung pretty dramatically.”

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