Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville disagree over Harry Kane’s role in Abdoulaye Doucoure red card

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville were at loggerheads once again on Monday Night Football over the role Harry Kane played in Abdoulaye Doucoure’s sending off at Goodison Park.

Everton rescued a 1-1 draw against Tottenham on Monday thanks to a late Michael Keane stunner, which came after Kane had fired the visitors ahead from the penalty spot 22 minutes from time.

Before his opener, the Spurs striker was also heavily involved in the first of two red cards on the night when Doucoure was given his marching orders for shoving him in the face.

He dropped to the floor in dramatic fashion after receiving the contact, leaving referee David Coote with no choice but to send the Everton midfielder off, yet Kane’s reaction sparked controversy both at Goodison and on social media.

Many accused the England captain of exaggerating the contact from Doucoure in order to influence Coote’s thinking, while the Toffees faithful directed chants of ‘cheat’ his way for the rest of the evening.

Abdoulaye Doucoure (second from left) was sent off for shoving Harry Kane (right) in the face

Jamie Carragher (left) and Gary Neville (right) disagreed over Kane’s role in the incident

Carragher was one of Kane’s critics on the night, branding his role in the sending off ’embarrassing’. 

Though of course, the Liverpool legend’s view conflicted with that of co-pundit Neville, who instead leapt to Kane’s defence to spark another passionate debate between the two.

Neville: ‘There is no debate on red card at all, Doucoure puts his hand up, the only debate is whether Harry Kane should go down. Harry Kane should never go to ground, if the clasp of shirt does go on eye it does shock you. That is very different to a hand in the face.’

Carragher: ‘The debate isn’t about a red card and Harry Kane shouldn’t be going down like that, it can still be a red card by putting your hand in someone’s face, Doucoure is wrong and I am sure Dyche will tell him that, I wouldn’t go down there as a player, there is no way near enough contact to go down. If I done that on a pitch I would be embarrassed, if I watched my son do that, yeh it might help his team win with the opposition down to 10 men, it gives you an advantage, when he got back in car I would say, “what are you doing, don’t ever do that on a football pitch”.

Neville: ‘I am a lot nicer than i was 15 years ago, if Harry Kane stands up there, we are talking about Champions League football, if he stands up that might have been a yellow because it is deemed as a hand-off, Harry has gone down whether he should have or not it is to make sure Kane got sent off. It is a part of the game people don’t like that but in our dressing room if my forward, we are there to win games, you might call it cheating but you can’t put your hand in someone’s eye with your clasp like that.’

Doucoure appeared to scratch Kane in the face before the Spurs striker went down

Carragher: ‘It wasn’t in his eye. I don’t like it. I’m not going to have a problem with players doing that but I don’t like it. I might be contradicting myself here, you are doing a slow…’

Neville: ‘How can that not be in his eye. One finger in one eye, the other in another eye.

Carragher: ‘I have no problem with people diving or trying to win a penalty. The thing I don’t like is players going down to get fellow professionals sent off. I have no problem with someone going down to try and win a penalty or free-kick, to be honest we are going on about a Tottenham player but there is an Everton player Richarlison, all Everton supporters said I was on at Richarlison, not the fact he goes down but that he stays down and is rolling around. You’re trying to tell me he can’t stay on his feet.’

Neville: ‘I feel like you are re-writing history here. You were a horrible defender who used every single dark art available and appealed for every decision more than anyone else that ever played, if your strikers went down you would want him sent off and would have a go at him if he didn’t.’

Carragher: ‘No I wouldn’t.’

Neville: ‘Now you’re a pundit with a suit on it’s fine. If we go in our dressing rooms we are going well done Harry you got him sent off. I wouldn’t do that but wouldn’t mind my striker doing it. I am giving Harry the benefit of the doubt, he does dive, but when nails go in your eye it can shock you.’