Tottenham forward Son Heung-min did not envision that Everton midfielder Andre Gomes will break his ankle following the South Korea international's attempt of a tackle. Gomes was carried off the pitch on a stretcher while Son was handed a red card. He was inconsolable after the match, which ended at 1-1 draw.
Son's infraction was initially ruled meriting only a yellow card, but officials eventually sent off the Spurs forward with a red card. The reversal was aided by a VAR check.
Reuters said the call made by the game referee and upgraded by the VAR system seemed not aligned with what really transpired on the pitch.
"It was a confusing situation all round as Son's attempted tackle made minimal contact with Gomes, but the Portuguese midfielder then landed off-balance at speed," said the report by the news agency.
The red card, however, will remain as affirmed by Premier League, which maintained that the South Korean's move while unintended put the Portuguese player at risk.
"The red card for Son was for endangering the safety of a player which happened as a consequence of his initial challenge," the league said in an official statement.
For his part, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said the red card on Son was uncalled for and hinted he might file an appeal. Pochettino made clear there was no deliberate attempt by his player to hurt someone on the opposing side.
"It was clear it was never the intention of Son for what happened. It is unbelievable that he saw a red card," NBC Sports reported the Argentine manager as saying.
Also, Pochettino said he is equally devastated for the injured Gomes, who likely will be forced to skip several games depending on the severity of his injury.
"We feel very sorry. It was a really bad situation, bad luck with how he landed, and we can only send our best wishes. We are, of course, devastated for the situation," the Spurs coach stated.
Son's teammate Dele Alli defended the move made by the South Korean and revealed the forward couldn't stop crying when he realized what happened.
"Sonny is devastated and in tears. It's not his fault. Son is one of the nicest people you've ever met. He can't even lift his head up, he's crying so much," said Alli, who scored the goal for the Spurs.
South Korean national coach Paulo Bento was in agreement that Son did not mean to hurt Gomes, the Korea Herald reported.
"Heung-min has to pick things up and move forward, and we'll try to help him the best we can ... But he has to keep moving forward, take part in training and play in matches," Bento said.
The Portuguese coach added that what happened to Gomes was unfortunate, stressing that "you never want to see anyone get hurt that seriously. But it's also part of the game."
