Glenn Hoddle was confused to see Lewis Smith send Freddie Potts off as West Ham United faced Burton Albion in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Hammers travelled to Pitrelli Stadium on 14 February and secured a 1-0 victory despite a valiant defensive effort from the hosts.

Gary Bowyer’s team took the game into extra time, and after Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring in the 95th minute, the Irons went down to 10 men just a few moments later after Potts was sent off for his challenge on Julian Larsson.

Smith was initially seen reaching into his pocket to apparently show a yellow card, but after taking more time to assess the situation, the on-field referee deemed the midfielder’s offence worthy of a red card.

West Ham United navigate win vs resolute Burton Albion

Nuno Espirito Santo made a few changes to the team, but the Hammers still had a strong starting lineup against Burton, yet the home side made things difficult.

After an underwhelming first half from the Irons, they came out with a bit more attacking impetus after the break, but the League One club managed to take the game to extra time.

The Portuguese manager will be delighted to see his team progress further in the FA Cup, but he’ll surely see Potts’ red card as a significant negative.

Speaking on TNT Sports 1 during commentary, Hoddle said, “I must say in free play it didn’t look good, but I’m not sure how a referee can go over, and once he’s seen it, and he thinks it’s a yellow… how he turns that into a red I’m not so sure. Because there’s only one action he can actually take that from, he’s seen the tackle, and he thought it was a yellow. So it’s a little bit baffling.”

The East London outfit now returns to Premier League action next on 21 February, with Bournemouth travelling to the London Stadium.

Nuno has some tough fixtures in the league, with games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa on the horizon.

Nuno Espirito Santo has given hope at London Stadium after what’s been seen

At the moment, the Hammers are still in the relegation zone, three points behind Nottingham Forest, who have just sacked Sean Dyche and replaced him with Vitor Pereira.

West Ham fans have renewed hope about avoiding relegation from the Premier League after losing just one of their last seven matches in all competitions.

West Ham’s record in last seven matchesThe Irons’ only defeat in that period came against Chelsea in a game that ended 3-2 at Stamford Bridge after the visitors took a two-goal lead.

Nuno will also be proud of the East London outfit’s display against Manchester United, with the Red Devils needing a late goal from Benjamin Sesko to secure a point at the London Stadium.

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