Kalvin Phillips savaged by Premier League fans as ‘shocking’ moment vs Sheffield Wednesday confirms ‘fall from grace’
Kalvin Phillips has been slammed after he was shown a straight red card in the Steel City derby on Sunday.
The midfielder was dismissed by referee Josh Smith shortly after the break for a high challenge on Svante Ingelsson.
Sheffield United were 2-0 up at the time and resisted the pressure following Charlie McNeil’s goal to emerge 2-1 victors.
Gabriel Otegbayo was shown a second yellow card late on to make it 10 men each, with the final whistle confirming Sheffield Wednesday‘s relegation to League One.
The Owls have had an extremely tough season amid point deductions and the financial mismanagement under Dejphon Chansiri, and have now suffered the earliest relegation in EFL history.
‘Woeful’ Kalvin Phillips destroyed by Premier League fans
Less than four years ago, Phillips had been at the height of his career with Leeds United, performing superbly well in the Premier League and playing regularly for England.
The 2020 Euros saw Gareth Southgate call up the midfielder for his first major tournament finals, and he played almost every single minute alongside Declan Rice.
The two had formed such a superb pairing, and both looked destined to start for England for years to come.
That can be said of Rice, but sadly not Phillips. Man City spent around £40million to sign the 30-year-old in 2022, but injuries and poor form have seen him make just 32 appearances across all competitions in the years since.
His loan to Sheffield United is the latest of several in recent years, none of which have gone successfully.
With Phillips now set to spend three games on the sidelines suspended for violent conduct, it appears that this one is not going to work out, either.
Fans of the Premier League reacted to his red card, with one fan writing on social media that he is a “bang average footballer and an absolute liability for whoever he plays for.”
Another said Phillips is a “woeful” player, while another said he was “starting to question whether he’s even good enough for the Championship”.
One X user wrote: “What a fall from grace, he was bossing it in the England team and doing well in the Prem, now he’s getting a red card while playing for Sheffield United”.
Chris Morgan unconvinced by red card
Most will have little sympathy for Phillips, who, despite getting the ball first, seemed to keep his leg raised to purposefully make contact high up the leg of Ingelsson.
The midfielder looked bemused when he saw the red card, but he may have known that he would have been lucky to have got away with it.
Former Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan had a different opinion, however, and told BBC Radio Sheffield: “I don’t think he can pull his leg out in time. I think from up here I thought it wasn’t intentional.”
The Blades will be happy to have got the three points, and will now weigh up a decision on whether to appeal the suspension.