Swansea City boss Russell Martin said Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore should have been sent off in Tuesday night's 3-3 draw between the sides.
Moore came off the bench to score twice as he inspired a comeback against the Swans after the Cherries found themselves 3-0 down. But there was a flashpoint just 11 minutes after he came when Flynn Downes felt the force of a challenge from the striker and Martin said it warranted a red card.
And had he been dismissed for serious foul play he would have been handed a three-match ban meaning he would have missed Bournemouth's promotion showdown against Forest next Tuesday. "Losing Ben was a massive moment for us, to lose our only defender who is over 6ft tall against a side with the athleticism and physical prowess of Bournemouth, who went really direct, is a factor,” said Martin.
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"He is our most dominant player aerially. The penalty is a tough one to take, and then Kieffer Moore should have been sent off. I don’t like moaning about referees, they have a difficult job, but he has elbowed Flynn and anyone who watches the replay will see that. It’s not sour grapes, because Bournemouth risked it all and threw absolutely everything at it.
"We did not quite have the ability to turn the momentum, and when we had the chance to play the detail was not quite there. I also felt the third goal was a push on Flynn, but again if we had been able to find a bit of composure in some key moments we could have gone on and got a fourth goal.”
Asked whether he felt the challenge was sinister, Martin said: “I don’t know, you’d have to speak to Kieffer Moore. I don’t know his personality. I wouldn’t suggest it was sinister. If you actually watch it, you make up your own mind.”
