Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the first half as Sheffield United suffered a 3–2 defeat to Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday.
The controversial second booking came in the 44th minute, leaving Sheffield United to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Hamza received his first yellow card in the 35th minute for a foul on Portsmouth winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.
Nine minutes later, Kavuma-McQueen beat Hamza with a nutmeg, pushing the ball through his legs. Hamza then tripped the Portsmouth winger as he attempted to get past, prompting referee Oliver Langford to show the Bangladesh international a second yellow card and the subsequent red.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder was left frustrated by the dismissal and questioned the decision, arguing that Hamza had little room to avoid contact during the second incident.
“Where can Hamza go? I just don’t know where Hamza’s meant to go,” Wilder said after the match.
The Sheffield United boss also claimed that Langford initially appeared to indicate that he would not send off the midfielder before changing his mind and showing the second yellow card.
“I have to be super careful because maybe what I might want to say, I don’t say,” Wilder said, expressing his frustration with the officiating.
Wilder also questioned the standard of refereeing in the Championship and pointed to other decisions he felt had gone against his side, including a late incident involving an alleged shirt pull inside the penalty area.
“There were a number of decisions that incredibly frustrated me,” he said.
The dismissal came shortly after Portsmouth took the lead through Zak Swanson, who fired a spectacular long-range effort into the top corner in the 41st minute.
Adrian Segecic doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 54th minute, but Sheffield United produced a spirited response despite being a man down.
Captain Japhet Tanganga pulled one back in the 59th minute before Tom Cannon headed home an equaliser eight minutes later to revive the visitors’ hopes.
Just as the Blades appeared poised to salvage a point, substitute Ebou Adams struck in the 89th minute to secure Portsmouth’s 3–2 victory.
The defeat denied Sheffield United the chance to record back-to-back wins, while Hamza’s dismissal could prove costly for the Bangladesh international, who faces a suspension that could rule him out of Saturday’s Championship fixture against Bristol City.