HARVEY ELLIOTT RECEIVES RED CARD IN VALENCIA DEFEAT

Harvey Elliott was sent off in the 89th minute of Valencia’s 2-1 defeat by Villarreal on Saturday. The Liverpool loanee received two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving both teams with 10 players. He had entered the match in the 69th minute as a substitute for Javi Guerra. Valencia manager Javier Aguirre called it “an absurd, ridiculous sending-off” after the match. Georges Mikautadze scored Villarreal’s winner in the 96th minute at the Mestalla.

Pepelu gave Valencia the lead with a first-half penalty before Alex Freeman equalised for Villarreal. Pape Gueye received a straight red card in the 79th minute. Elliott’s first booking came for a foul, while he appeared to receive the second for dissent. Elliott joined Valencia on loan from Liverpool in the summer, following a loan spell at Aston Villa last season. He has made six appearances for Valencia this season without recording a goal or an assist. Valencia had been seeking their second La Liga win of the season.

Aguirre said he did not know what Elliott had said to the referee and pointed to the player’s limited Spanish. He said he would discuss the dismissal with Elliott privately. “Ultimately, the responsibility is mine, because I’m the one who decides who plays and how we play,” Aguirre said. He also said Valencia had been in a solid position with a one-player advantage before Elliott’s sending-off “disrupted everything”.