Anel Ahmedhodzic gives his honest opinion on Mason Holgate's shocking tackle on Kaoru Mitoma

Anel Ahmedhodzic didn't think Mason Holgate should have been sent off against Brighton following his shocking tackle on Kaoura Mitoma.

Holgate was shown a red card following a VAR review in Sheff United's crushing 5-0 home defeat to Brighton on Sunday.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men when the defender landed a knee-high challenge on Brighton's Japanese winger in the opening stages of the Premier League fixture.

Match referee Stuart Attwell initially brandished a yellow card until he reviewed the incident on the VAR monitors.

Attwell overturned his original decision following a swift review as he sent off Holgate.

Sheff United went onto concede five goals as they remain rooted to the bottom of the league.

After the match, Ahmedhodzic disagreed with Attwell's decision, believing Holgate didn't deserve a red card.

"If you ask my opinion... it's not a red card," he told Sky Sports.

When pressed on not thinking it was a red card, he replied: "I do not! From what I've seen on the pitch, I don't. Maybe in the replay it seems harsher than it is."

Chris Wilder revealed Holgate, who's on loan from Everton, apologised to his teammates after his sending off.

"He has apologised to the boys, he understands it and he is an experienced pro," the Blades boss said.

"He has got it wrong, I want us to be competitive, I want us to win tackles, we can’t have a passive game.

"It is a competitive game, it is a not a non-contact game but we have to get that right, Mason has to get that right. It is huge setback for us in the approach to the overall game.

"I am torn, I am a competitor and I understand that it was a very, very strong challenge and the game has moved on."

Wilder added: "Some people won’t want the game to move and on and expect physical contact, excessive force or whatever you call it.

"Winning the ball and challenging in that way is deemed not acceptable.

"We have got no excuses, or nowhere to hide, the referee gave it a yellow card straight away but obviously when he went to the monitor and saw it slowed down and has somebody in his ear saying it’s a red card."

Wilder will be without Holgate for league matches against Wolves, Arsenal and Bournemouth.