David Moyes angry with officials over Michael Keane red card | OneFootball

Everton manager David Moyes was furious at the “ridiculous” decision which saw Michael Keane sent off for pulling the hair of Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare in a 1-1 draw.

Goalscorer Keane was shown a red card after tugging at the striker’s long hair in an aerial challenge in the 83rd minute.

Jack Grealish was then dismissed after two yellow cards – his first Premier League red card – for dissent within three minutes, the second when he sarcastically applauded referee Tom Kirk, officiating in only his second top-flight game.

Moyes was probably just as frustrated at the way his side allowed the league’s bottom side back into the game when 18-year-old Matheus Mane scored for the second successive match but he took aim at the officials.

“It is not violent, it is not forceful and it is not deliberate so all of those things I have said mean it shouldn’t have been a red card,” Moyes said after his team missed the chance to move to within three points of fourth place.

“I think it was a really poor decision to send him to the screen in the first place. (Marc) Cucurella got his hair pulled (by Joao Neves in the Club World Cup final) – violent conduct, a deliberate action, no problem with that.

“But this was in the game, on a ball coming up and unless you have played the game you might not understand. I have been a centre-half and there is no way I am jumping to out-jump a big centre-forward and think ‘By the way I am going to out-jump him and at the same time I am going to pull his hair’.

“I don’t know anyone on the planet who is good enough to think that way when they are jumping up. I thought it was a ridiculous decision by the referee but more by VAR. I thought the ridiculous bit came from VAR.

“It can’t be violent conduct for that. I just can’t see how that warrants a sending-off. Why would that be a red card and we’re letting other things go. Ridiculous. Hopeless”

Moyes was less vocal on Grealish’s loss of composure, which will further deplete his already thin resources with Keane now banned for three matches.

Asked whether it was something he needed to address, not only with the player but the rest of the squad, he added: “Already have done.”

That Wolves boss Rob Edwards, whose team have turned a corner after 11 successive league defeats with five points from the last three matches, was disappointed they did not capitalise on their opponents’ self-destruction shows the change in mindset.

“How the game ended with them being down to nine men, I was disappointed we didn’t capitalise more,” he said.

“We didn’t work them enough. We probably played into their hands.”

Wolves remain 14 points from safety but Edwards is not giving up.

“It’s a very difficult challenge for us but we will continue to fight, we have to,” he added.

“We are professionals; we won’t roll over and we will continue to fight until the end of the 38th game. That’s all we can do.”