Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has been sent off for challenging Wilfried Zaha – sparking scenes of an angry confrontation between the players.
Laporte, 27, was sent off in the first half after dragging Zaha in a desperate attempt to prevent the Ivory Coast international from breaking the ball on goal.
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The center back also mistook Palace’s goal early in the first half after giving the ball to Conor Gallagher, who found Zaha in the penalty area.
Zaha made no mistake and put the ball past Ederson from close range, with Laporte left blushing after his foul gave Palace the opportunity to advance.
It all started then with the whistle at the end of the first half, as the City players tried to provoke a reaction from Zaha and the referee had to intervene.
Both groups had to be pulled apart and sent through the tunnel for half the time, as the City side were visibly disappointed with the way the first half ended.
The Spain international recently regained his place in City coach Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up after making just 16 Premier League appearances last season.
He has started eight of Manchester City’s 10 league matches so far this season and has formed a strong partnership alongside Ruben Dias at the expense of John Stones.
The England international has only featured once in the league with City so far this season, despite being a regular starter under Guardiola last season.
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But Stones may get a chance to prove himself again if Laporte’s red card is upheld and he is suspended for three games.
Laporte may miss a trip to face local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, as well as a home match against Everton and West Ham.
The Spaniard signed in January 2018 from Athletic Bilbao for a fee of £57m and has since won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three Carabao Cup titles.
Although Laporte struggled with injuries in his time at the Etihad, he only made 83 league appearances in over three and a half seasons.
Laporte also changed his allegiance in order to represent the Spanish national team, despite playing 51 games with the French national team at the youth level.
He was called up to the France squad twice, but failed to make an appearance and has since established himself as a key player in Luis Enrique’s Spanish side.
Laporte played every minute of Spain’s campaign at Euro 2020, before the penalty shootout winner Italy lost it in the semi-finals.
He also played both of the Spanish Nations League Finals matches against Italy and France, winning the runner-up medal after their 2-1 defeat against native France at Laporte in the final.
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