'There is no way': Aaron Ramsey airs disagreement after Oxford United's double red card chaos against Mansfield Town
Aaron Ramsey’s Oxford United were forced to see out their clash with Mansfield Town with just nine men on the pitch.
A dramatic period in the second half of Thursday’s League One meeting saw Oxford United shown two red cards in less than ten minutes.
Peter Kioso and substitute Gatlin O’Donkor were both giving their marching orders after picking up two yellow cards each.
In between the two player dismissals, Michael Smith netted the equaliser for Stags but the U’s held on to fight out a 1-1 draw, despite having two men less and Mansfield heaping the pressure on.
Aaron Ramsey was pleased with how his side fought for their point but argues Kioso should not have been sent off in the first place.
The full-back was on a yellow card from early on and was given his marching orders in the 75th minute for a simulation offence. Referee Thomas Parsons deemed Kioso to have dived inside the box, which Ramsey disagrees with.
“My immediate feeling is I’m super proud of the players, the way they finished that game. For us to dig in and show that togetherness, staying together as a team, defending the box, I couldn’t have asked for any more,” the former Arsenal midfielder told the media.
“But we can’t beat around the bush as well. For 65 minutes I thought we were in control of the game and at 1-0 up, so I felt like we were really getting a grip on the game and creating more opportunities.”
On Kioso’s sending off, Ramsey said: “I disagree with the decision. For me, there is certainly contact in the area. Then for the ref to go ahead and book him… in my opinion, there is no way PK has dived there. Of course, a big moment in the game where I thought it should have been a penalty.”
He then gave his thoughts on O’Donkor’s red card, who picked up his first yellow for kicking the ball away and his second for a foul.
“The first one, I believe it wasn’t a yellow card. Then the second, it is what it is,” Ramsey said. “But the response from the players after that was brilliant. I’m really proud of the way we responded to those decisions and going down to nine men.”
Thursday’s draw moves Oxford up to seventh in the League One table and Mansfield Town to 11th, ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.