Derby captain Robbie Savage has branded Swansea striker Gorka Pintado's horror tackle on him at Pride Park on Saturday as "horrendous" and "idiotic".
The Spanish striker was shown a straight red card just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute in the Swans' 1-0 victory after a cynical lunge on the former Wales midfielder. Pintado's challenge led to a mass melee, and Savage felt his team-mates were right to confront the Swansea striker.
"That is one of the worst tackles I have ever seen," Savage said. "It's a man's game and I expect bad tackles but not as bad as that. It was horrendous. It was an idiotic challenge and that's a three-game ban from the FA. I hope he appeals and gets another one."
He added: "I don't know what he was doing - maybe he was trying to make a name for himself.
"I saw him and heard him coming. If I hadn't seen him and had my foot planted, I would have had a broken leg, without a doubt.
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