Cardiff City boss Mick McCarthy believes Bournemouth should have been reduced to ten men before Phillip Billing's opener in their 1-0 defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Bluebirds slipped to their third defeat in four league games against the Cherries and they were dominated in both possession and with the number of chances they were limited to.

Cardiff struggled in large parts of this game in a difficult afternoon for the Bluebirds, but it was a key moment in the game before the opening goal that left McCarthy fuming.

Cardiff City's Ciaron Brown was on the receiving end of a challenge from Bournemouth midfielder Jefferson Lerma that McCarthy thought should have been a red.

Lerma has struggled with discipline in the past and it seems as though his eagerness got the better of him once again as he flew into a tackle against the Northern Irish defender.

The Colombian was booked by referee Keith Stroud however that wasn't a worthy punishment according to McCarthy who believed that it should have been a more severe one.

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"I’ve just seen the Lerma tackle and I’ve told the ref to have a look at it," McCarthy said post-match, per Wales Online.

"It’s a red card in my mind, he’s gone over the ball, and when they see that on the video they will agree with me.

"I’m not saying for a minute that he meant it, but if you go in like that without control and you catch a player on the shin then it’s a red card.

"The referee made his decision, I’m not complaining, we all get things wrong, but it’s not easy when you concede afterwards."

The Verdict

McCarthy does make a good case as the challenge itself looked over the top. However, would that have impacted the overall result? Potentially not as Cardiff failed to create anything threatening throughout the game.

This has been a common theme for the Bluebirds as they try to find a creative edge following the end of Harry Wilson and Sheyi Ojo's loan spells.

With one of the divisions best strikers in Kieffer Moore, he's struggled with a lack of supply and it is an area Cardiff have to improve upon soon if they have aspirations of a top 6 finish this season.