Twitter Reacts to Wayne Rooney Receiving Red Card vs. West Ham

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 28

Wayne Rooney discussed his red card vs. West Ham with Mark Odgen of The Telegraph:

"

'It was probably the right decision,” Rooney said. 'I saw the West Ham player making a counter-attack and I tried to break-up the play, but I just misjudged it.

'It was a dangerous situation in that they were trying to break on us and I have misjudged it, simple as that, but I have no complaints.

'I haven’t absolutely volleyed the lad. I have tried to trip him up and, to be fair to him, he got further away from me and that is why my leg is straighter than it should have been. But it is a red card and I don’t think it will benefit anyone to appeal against the decision.'

"

Rooney also talked about the debate surrounding the England captain following the red card:

"

Rooney, who apologised to his team-mates following the dismissal, admitted that he was now prepared for the debate which will now follow over his suitability for the captaincy role for club and country. “I expect people to say that, but at the end of the day, I was just trying to break up the play. As a result, I am now going to miss three games and that’s the most disappointing thing.

'Obviously we got away with it by getting the win, but I am really gutted I am going to be missing the next three games. It is hard to take. Of course I did [apologise to his team-mates]. I think everyone knew [I was in the wrong], so I am just grateful the lads were able to hold on.'

"

Original Text

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney was shown a red card just before the hour mark of the club's Premier League clash with West Ham United. The forward had previously scored within the first five minutes of the match to give his side the 1-0 lead.

Rooney took down Stewart Downing as the fellow English international was attempting to jump-start a counterattack for the Irons. The Red Devils noted referee Lee Mason decided the infraction was enough to show a straight red:

West Ham provided further details about the play in question:

Paul Hirst of the Press Association points out it's the first time in three years Rooney has been sent off in any competition:

"

That was Rooney's first red since he was sent off for England v Montenegro in October 2011.

— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) September 27, 2014"

United adds it's his first red in club play in more than five years:

David McDonnell of the Daily Mirror believes the right decision was made:

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated doesn't think Thomas Muller would be impressed:

Another unique take on the situation came from Iain Macintosh of The New Paper:

Ray Ratto of CSN Bay Area also took a different view of the aftermath:

Mark Ogden of The Telegraph notes the consequences of the straight red:

Adding to that, ESPN FC passes along the fixtures he'll miss:

As captain, Rooney is surely going to catch a lot of heat after the match for getting sent off. Although there's an argument that could be made for a yellow in that situation, he left himself in danger by making the tackle and left his fate in the referee's hands.

The good news for United is that they do have depth on the attack. Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao will headline the group with Adnan Januzaj also likely moving into a more prominent role until Rooney's ban comes to an end.

United held on to win the clash 2-1 over West Ham despite playing a man down.