Charlie Cresswell was left with a painful black eye and stitches in his forehead after the Millwall defender was kicked in the head during Saturday's 0-0 draw against Hull City.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Championship side on loan from Leeds this summer, sustained the nasty injury when Hull midfielder Oscar Estupinan connected with a high boot.
Moments later and as Cresswell lay on the floor in agony, referee John Busby brandished a straight red card to Estupinan for his actions.
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Many expected the defender to be replaced but somehow, the Leeds youth product carried on. In fact, Cresswell walked away with a clean sheet after completing the full 90.
After the full-time whistle, Cresswell took to his Instagram story to show off his nasty injuries. He posted a selfie with the caption: "Love this game."
Moments later and new Hull City manager Liam Rosenior gave his take on the incident.
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“I don’t think he’s even tried to win the ball, he can’t see the player so it’s not a challenge, he’s tried to take the ball down so it was more of a collision," he said.
“I can see why the referee’s given it in terms of what it looks like. I feel sorry for Oscar because he’s saying sorry to me and all the lads in there.
“He was magnificent for the first half-hour in terms of the energy he brought. The biggest thing for me is to understand why it was given, I just hope it’s not seen as dangerous or reckless play because he has tried to take the ball down, it’s just an unfortunate incident.”
Millwall boss Gary Rowett clearly thought it was an accident as well. He sympathised with Oscar Estupinan in his post-match interview, but said referee Busby made the right call.
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“The game is pretty even up to the point when they have a man sent off, there was little space on the pitch,” he said.
“In my opinion, it is reckless even though he hasn’t meant to do it – he catches Cressy in the face and he needed a lot of stitches at half-time.
“After that you just know what is going to happen – that they are going to drop in, they are going to test our patience and make it hard for us to play through them. They did. They defended brilliantly."
Estupinan will likely miss matches against Cardiff City, Reading and Watford in the coming weeks.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/charliecresswellTopics: Leeds United, Millwall, EFL Championship, Hull City, Premier League
