Watford manager Marco Silva has confessed that referee Graham Scott was right to send off Miguel Britos and has criticised the defender for costing his side.
The 32-year-old lunged in on Anthony Knockaert a quarter of the way through the Hornets' meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Silva had no complaints with the decision to dismiss Britos, which he believes prevented his side from picking up back-to-back league wins as they were made to settle for a goalless draw at Vicarage Road.
"It is a fair red card and Britos made the wrong decision and made the wrong action. Of course it is a really important moment of the match," he told Sky Sports News. "It is an important moment, because we prepared the match, were in control and it wasn't in a dangerous situation.
"It changes everything we planned and prepared for the match. It is not a good moment. It is one moment, it is possible to lose your control and he lost his emotional balance. I can talk about three matches [I have been in charge for] and not the past. We need to keep focused and keep our emotional balance in the match and in that moment Britos didn't do that.
"I have talked to him. It is not important about what he said. It is not a good moment and he has spoken to me and his team mates. What he said to us, we keep in the changing room."
Britos has now been red-carded three times for Watford in just 32 appearances since arriving from Napoli in 2015.
