Alexis Sanchez only had himself to blame for the manner of his crucial red card against Liverpool at Anfield, according to talkSPORT's Simon Jordan.
Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Sanchez was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Fabinho just moments after the Chilean's Inter Milan teammate Lautaro Martinez had fired his side back into the Champions League last-16 tie.
Martinez's excellent strike from distance halved the aggregate deficit to 2-1 in Liverpool's favour, but after Sanchez's almost immediate red card the Reds were able to see out the game fairly comfortably, progressing to the quarter-finals despite losing on the night.
Many including BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand claimed that Sanchez, who had put in a high challenge on Thiago in the first half, was unlucky to be shown red, but former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan says he deserved it.
“He should’ve gone for just pure and simple stupidity because he’s put himself and his team in a very difficult position,” Jordan said on talkSPORT.
“They’ve just got themselves back in the game. Liverpool ’s job was a difficult one because they didn’t want to steal defeat from the jaws of victory. The job was done.
“I know they said after the first game it was half time and they were 2-0 up, but really and truly, the job was done.
“Liverpool were rattled by that goal, and the fans would’ve got slightly uneasy, and if Milan had stuck it on them a bit more and started to get Liverpool to wobble, it might’ve become more uncomfortable for them.
“The fact that Sanchez was taken out of the mix took that away”.
Sanchez's challenge on Reds midfielder Thiago in the first half was seen by many as a possible straight red, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp also suggesting the forward could have been given his marching orders.
The tackle on Fabinho was a little less forceful though, with Sanchez clearly touching the ball before careering into the Brazilian.
Jordan saw no issue with the second booking though.
“Sanchez knows he’s on a yellow card for a ridiculous first challenge, which he probably could have gone on a straight red for. He then puts himself in the way of it," he continued.
“He’s an experienced footballer. This isn’t some guy that hasn’t been round the world or knows what he’s doing.”
When pressed by presenter Jijm White over his own apparent dislike of Sanchez, Jordan continued: "I think he’s a cheat. He cheated Manchester United and he cheated Arsenal.
“And in this game he proved what we all think – he’s stupid."
