Phil Neville has told Match of the Day that Aleksandar Mitrovic should have been sent off for his ‘nasty’ elbow on Manuel Lanzini.
The doom and gloom surrounding Newcastle United was certainly lifted on Saturday after the Magpies managed to claim a sensational 3-0 victory over West Ham United at St. James’ Park and the performance was a very good one from Rafael Benitez’s men.
Apart from the result, the Newcastle fans would surely have been let very pleased with the fact that Aleksandar Mitrovic managed to find the back of the net with a fine goal after coming off of the bench late into the game.
However, it has to be said that Mitrovic was very lucky not to be sent off earlier on after appearing to catch West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini with an elbow and following the clash, former Manchester United man Phil Neville has slammed the Serbian star for his ‘violent’ act.
Phil Neville said, “He’s in big trouble. It’s a red card. It’s nasty, violent, and I can’t understand it. At 2-0 up, (Newcastle were) cruising in the game.
“That’s a deliberate act, similar to (Marko) Arnautovic last week at Southampton. No need to do it. It’s dangerous play, and not needed on the football pitch.”
The cameo against West Ham certainly showed the best and worst of Mitrovic and if only the striker could keep his temperament under check, he would surely win the trust of Benitez back.