Cleverley unhappy with Ralls red card decision

Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley insisted Joe Ralls should not have been sent off in his side's 4-1 Boxing Day loss to Reading.

The midfielder was dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity after giving away a penalty in the 12th minute, which the Royals converted.

Argyle's first home game on Boxing Day in nine years proved a tough watch for the Home Park faithful as Reading scored three times in six minutes to lead 3-0 before the midway point of the first half.

Lorent Tolaj missed a penalty for the hosts shortly after Xavier Amaechi's goal had given them some hope when he made it 3-1, before Jack Marriott got a late fourth for Reading.

"I've had the luxury of seeing it back, and the referee hasn't," Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon.

"There's five people between the goal and the Reading player.

"I think the problem for the referee was he gave the penalty and straightaway went for a red card.

"I think he should have given the penalty, given himself a second to see the melee in front of the action, given himself a second to see 'Okay, no Reading players are appealing for a red card here', and then we might have had a more accurate decision."

Having served a touchline ban for getting three bookings already this season, Cleverley was again cautioned by the referee for his reactions during the game.

He admitted that he must control his emotions, but says he was keen to give the home fans a good showing on a rare home game on Boxing Day.

"I'm gutted it wasn't an occasion for our supporters to see a really good game of football," he said.

"That's a slap on the wrist for me. However poor it gets, I should know to deal with my emotions better.

"It just got the better of me today in a really important game for us, but I also wanted us to put on a show today.

"A full house, Boxing Day, first time for years, I was desperate to not have a day like that and I feel like some of the decisions were a big part of it."