'Embarrassing': Alan Shearer delivers surprise verdict on Schar's red card on Match of the Day

The sending off of Fabian Schar is still dominating the conversation after Newcastle United beat Southampton 1-0 at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.

Heading (no pun intended) towards the half-hour mark, Southampton winger Ben Brereton Diaz launched himself into the back of Fabian Schar after play had stopped for a free kick.

Schar immediately reacted by shoving Brereton Diaz and the two went forehead to forehead with Brereton Diaz falling to the ground like he'd been taken out by a sniper.

Referee Craig Pawson handed the Oscar and a yellow card to Brereton Diaz while Fabian Schar was given a straight red card much to the bewilderment of pretty much everyone in St James' Park.

Scott Heppell/REUTERS

Alan Shearer labels Ben Brereton Diaz 'embarrassing'

As we said in our match report, if we're going by the rules of the game and following them blindly, then yes, it was a justifiable red card, but if you apply some common sense, there's no way it's more than a yellow, or it has to be a red for Ben Brereton Diaz too.

Alan Shearer was in the Match of the Day studio and Newcastle fans will have been looking to Al for some common sense and a defence of Schar, but it wasn't forthcoming, although he did lay into 'embarrassing' Brereton Diaz.

“They (Newcastle) can’t have too many complaints, you know the laws, if you put your head into someone then you run the risk of red card.

“He (Schar) takes the bait completely and it is just embarrassing what Ben Brereton Diaz does and the way he reacts like that.

“It really is embarrassing. It is not nice to see. What I would say, is that they both put their heads in together.

“They both put their heads together and it just the way that he (Brereton Diaz) goes down (that gets Schar sent off).

“It is a red card, I am not going to complain about that, he deserves it and they are going to be punished. If anything, it will probably put another £5m on the Marc Guehi fee, if they are going to try and get him, he (Schar) misses the next three games.”

Schar is facing a three-game suspension after his dismissal

As Shearer said, Schar is now staring down the barrel of a three-game suspension which leaves Eddie Howe with a big problem at the back so early into the season.

If only we'd brought in a centre-back, eh?

The incident is now bound to have an effect on the Marc Guehi negotiations. Steve Parish is probably rubbing his hands together.