Millwall fans hold applause for Liam Roberts in same minute goalkeeper committed horror red-card challenge on Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta in FA Cup tie

Millwall fans held a minute’s applause for goalkeeper Liam Roberts, who was sent off for a horror challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta in the FA Cup.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Roberts received a red card from Michael Oliver for a horror foul in Millwall’s FA Cup fifth-round loss to Crystal Palace that saw Mateta hospitalised and requiring 25 stitches in his head. The goalkeeper has received a lot of public criticism for the challenge but Millwall fans showed their support by applauding in the eighth minute of Tuesday’s 2-0 Championship home defeat to Bristol City, the minute in which he committed the offence at Selhurst Park.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Roberts’ challenge has provoked quite a reaction, with Palace chairman Steve Parish claiming it was “the most reckless challenge I’ve ever seen” immediately after the game. Millwall have responded by insisting reporting of the incident had contributed to an “unwarranted character assassination” and “fuelled abhorrent” online abuse towards the goalkeeper.

DID YOU KNOW?

The FA are yet to announce whether they will submit a “clearly insufficient” punishment claim for Roberts, which could result in the goalkeeper facing a longer ban than would usually be applied for a red card offence. English football’s governing body must decide whether it thinks the incident was “truly exceptional”.

 
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WHAT NEXT FOR ROBERTS AND MILLWALL?

For now, Roberts faces a three-match ban, though he has not been Millwall’s first-choice goalkeeper in the Championship so would have been unlikely to feature anyway. Alex Neil’s side are next in action at Watford on Saturday.