West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed the club will appeal Andy Carroll's dismissal at Upton Park and accused Swansea defender Chico Flores of "over-exaggerating" the impact of an aerial clash that led to Hammers striker getting a red card.
The former Newcastle striker set two goals up for Kevin Nolan in the 2-0 Premier League win before being shown a red card by referee Howard Webb as he appeared to brush Flores with his elbow midway through the second half.
Allardyce was unconvinced Webb had had an unobstructed view of the incident, and bemoaned what he saw as play-acting from Swansea’s Spanish centre-back.
He told BT Sport: “I’ve just had a look at it and from our point of view I can’t see why Howard has decided to give him a red card.
“His arm’s gone over the top of his head and while his arm’s swinging round, coming from a position where both players have tangled and are coming round to correct their balance, there were players running round to obscure his (Webb’s) view.
“So he can’t be absolutely certain of what’s happened, except that Chico Flores is over-exaggerating, which is generally the norm for him unfortunately.
“To clutch his face and roll around, I think that’s had a big influence on Howard’s decision, thinking that it’s caught him in the face when it hasn’t at all.”