Coventry’s Awoniyi sees red for ‘ridiculous’ elbow against Brighton

Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off for a “WWE-style” elbow as Frank Lampard’s side suffered a 5-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton.

The Nigeria international received a straight red card in the 53rd minute after catching Brighton defender Maxim De Cuyper with his elbow during an aerial challenge. Referee Tony Harrington dismissed Awoniyi for violent conduct, with VAR supporting the decision.

Coventry were already 2-0 down following goals from Charalampos Kostoulas and Malick Yalcouye when Awoniyi was dismissed, leaving the hosts facing a tougher task.

Pascal Gross converted a penalty before Lewis Dunk produced a spectacular long-range strike and Yasin Ayari completed the rout in stoppage time.

The dismissal means Awoniyi will serve a three-match suspension and miss Coventry’s Carabao Cup meeting with Aston Villa, as well as Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.

MORE VIA NBC SPORTS ON YAHOO SPORTS:

Coventry City’s Taiwo Awoniyi was assessed a straight red card after a high elbow on Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper.

Video Transcript

Oh, is that a flailing arm there from Awoniyi?

Brighton fans, who had a good view of that, far from happy, and he is off.

And it goes from bad to worse.

It looked like a flailing arm was thrown in the direction of a defender.

Tony Harrington had the perfect view of it.

VAR, Peter Banks, is just inspecting it now.

Have a look, right-hand side of your picture.

Well, it was a glancing blow, wasn’t it, as he comes across.

I mean, what I will say, his eyes are on the ball.

I mean, his awareness of him there may well play a factor, but you can’t deny the fact that, Awoniyi had his eyes on the ball for the whole time, and I think that’s the point he’s making to the referee.

He feels that the, the straight red card there is incredibly harsh.

A devastating two-minute spell here for Coventry City, conceding a goal and then finding themselves a man light as well.

Oh, I, I think when you look at it from that angle, it’s a lot, lot clearer.

Yeah, it’s a lot, lot clearer because he, he’s fully aware of the move there, and he sees him, and the left arm comes up.

I mean, he’s complaining, but when you look at it from that angle, you can only arrive at the conclusion that he’s just lost his head a little bit there, Awoniyi, and gone about this the wrong way.

There’s a little collision just beforehand, and then he throws the left kind of forearm-