Harvey Elliott given brutal verdict by Spanish media as Valencia spell hits new low after bizarre incident

Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott was shown two yellow cards in the space of around 10 seconds during Valencia's 2-1 home defeat to Villarreal on Saturday night.

Elliott was brought on as a 70th-minute substitute during the loss, but was booked twice in quick succession after exchanging words with referee Alejandro Quintero Gonzalez.

Valencia boss Javier Aguirre described the sending off as 'absurd' and 'ridiculous', and Spanish media have now had their say on the incident.

Spanish media react to Harvey Elliott sending off

Local outlet Super Deporte, who use one word to describe each player's performance in their player ratings, used the word 'child' underneath Elliott's name.

They described his sending-off as 'ridiculous', stating that: "Instead of focusing on winning the match, he started doing something inappropriate with the referee ... the Englishman should have spared himself the trouble."

AS, meanwhile, wrote about his red card in the context of Valencia's poor form, with the Spanish club sitting in 19th place in La Liga with six points from 10 matches.

"It became clear that Valencia lacks talent and has too many nerves - just ask Elliott, who received two yellow cards in eight seconds," they wrote.

Marca rated Elliott's 20-minute cameo as 3.9 out of 10, making him the worst-rated player on the pitch from either side.

They chose not to especially criticise Elliott for getting sent off, but noted that Valencia 'crumbled' once they went down to 10 men.

"Valencia pressed hard until Elliott decided to discuss the play with the referee, earning his first red card in Spain. With the game now even, Villarreal capitalised on the gift and punished a Valencia side that crumbled."

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Valencia manager on Harvey Elliott red card

One man who clearly was furious with Elliott for getting sent off was his manager Javier Aguirre, who is back in club football after leaving his role as Mexico head coach following the World Cup.

Aguirre was baffled by the incident, noting how Elliott 'barely speaks Spanish', and said: "It's an absurd, ridiculous sending off. I don't know what he could have said to the referee. He barely speaks Spanish, so getting sent off for something he said just makes me angry.

"It's a ridiculous dismissal, and I told him as much. It's not his fault, the fault is mine, though I'll address it with him privately. Ultimately, the responsibility is mine, because I'm the one who decides who plays and how we play."