Twitter Reacts as Pablo Zabaleta Receives Red Card vs. Chelsea

Updates from Monday, Sept. 22

Pablo Zabaleta apologised for his red card following Manchester City's 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, but then declared his belief that Diego Costa should also have been dismissed.

Zabaleta tweeted:

Original Text

Manchester City and Chelsea were locked in a battle at the Etihad during Sunday's Premier League action, and the hosts' bid to end the Blues' undefeated start became a little harder when defender Pablo Zabaleta saw a red card for a second bookable offence midway through the second half.

The Argentine full-back received his marching orders for a poor challenge on Chelsea's Diego Costa, a lapse of judgment as he should have known he was already carrying a yellow for a foul on Eden Hazard.

Football Cliches was not impressed by the standard of the match, and it felt Zabaleta's dismissal was right in line:

Chelsea's Twitter feed also wasn't particularly enthusiastic:

As shared by WhoScored.com, the Argentina international hadn't been sent off in over three years:

Bleacher Report's Christopher Atkins agreed with the decision:

Manchester Evening News' Stuart Brennan thought the decision was a little harsh:

ESPN FC's Michael Cox saw captain Vincent Kompany try to change Mike Dean's mind, and he could only guess what the Belgian was saying:

As is so often the case in football, Chelsea immediately took advantage, as substitute Andre Schurrle opened the score just minutes later. Per OutsideoftheBoot.com, Zabaleta's presence could have made the difference:

"

Zabaleta would have been in that area to prevent Schurrle from scoring.

— OutsideoftheBoot.com (@OOTB_football) September 21, 2014"

The Sports Bible's Liam predicted such an exact scenario:

Manchester City were winless in three consecutive matches coming into this match, including a midweek 1-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich. Losing against Chelsea would put them in an early hole in the Premier League race, a far cry from last year's dominant campaign.    

Bacary Sagna is a natural replacement for Zabaleta at right-back, however, so a suspension for the Argentine shouldn't give the Citizens too many problems.