Keith Hackett

Mon 24 February 2025 16:57, UK

Cardiff City centre-back Dimitrios Goutas was rightly sent off during his side’s draw with Plymouth Argyle, Keith Hackett has said.

The former PGMOL chief exclusively told Football Insider that the 30-year-old denied a clear goalscoring opportunity when he brought down Bali Mumba on the edge of the Bluebirds’ penalty area.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Home Park on Saturday afternoon (22 February) which means both are still battling to avoid relegation from the Championship.

However, it was the dismissal of Goutas that may have helped Plymouth haul themselves level with Cardiff, while also evoking similarities with an incident involving Arsenal over the weekend.

Dimitrios Goutas sent off as Pilgrims fightback

The visitors had taken a 1-0 lead into half-time in that match thanks to Yousef Salech’s goal just 12 minutes into the game.

They were though, reduced to ten men only eight minutes after the break, after Goutas barged Mumba to the ground with the Plymouth attacker through on goal.

It was a moment that arguably helped to change the game, with Cardiff conceding an equaliser at the midway point of the second half.

With no other defenders close to Mumba, that red card for Goutas was deemed to have been given for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Earlier in the weekend, Hackett had criticised referee Craig Pawson for not showing a straight red card to Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly for denying such a chance in their damaging defeat to West Ham.

On that occasion, VAR had needed to intervene in order to lead to a dismissal for the Gunners youngster.

Here though, Hackett has praised referee James Bell for sending off Cardiff defender Goutas, without the aid of VAR in the Championship.

Keith Hackett reacts to Cardiff red card after Arsenal controversy

When asked by Football Insider what he made of the sending off for Goutas amid that incident at Arsenal, the former referee said:

“That’s a red card and dismissal. What you do here, just going through the thought process. The visualisation that referees have on denial is take away the defender that’s committed a foul.

“Once you’ve taken him away, if that foul hadn’t taken place, would that Plymouth have gone on and had a shot at goal?

“I suggest definite. Well done the referee, spot on… I think both outcomes were right. I think the Arsenal dismissal, a lot of distance involved.

“But again if you take the Arsenal player out, the West Ham player would have gone on and had a shot at goal, made easier by the fact that the goalkeeper was a million miles from goal. So this is a good piece of refereeing.”

Both clubs will take a break from the Championship relegation fight to focus on FA Cup fifth round action next weekend.

Plymouth travel to Man City, while Cardiff winger Anwar El Ghazi has the chance to face his former club Aston Villa at Villa Park.