Lucas Paqueta received a hammering following his bizarre red card during West Ham's loss to Liverpool on Sunday.
Paqueta was shown a yellow card for dissent in the 83rd minute after reacting angrily to the referee's decision to award a free-kick against West Ham teammate Niclas Fullkrug. The Brazilian continued to complain – as players from both teams tried to pull him away – and he was eventually shown a second yellow card a minute later.
Paqueta clapped sarcastically as he walked off the pitch and down the tunnel, and his conduct drew criticism from former Arsenal player Perry Groves, who was co-commentating on the game for talkSPORT.
"It's brainless from Paqueta. He's sarcastically clapping everybody," Groves said. "He's sarcastically clapping referee Darren England.
"To be fair to Darren England, he didn't get his yellow card out straight away. Paqueta kept going at him. He’s called the captain over, and still kept going at him.
"So Paqueta left Darren England no choice whatsoever to say, 'Get away from me, what you're shouting and screaming in my ear, I don't want to hear it.' Now Paqueta has let his West Ham teammates and fans down. He's lost his head completely.”
Darren England shows a red card to Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta was sent off in the final stages of Liverpool's win over West Ham (Image: Getty Images)
Former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green also hammered Paqueta for his actions.
“It is completely irresponsible,” Green said during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game. [Paqueta] may as well try and deflect the blame onto the referee, but he’s going to keep on going and going, and he needs someone to take him away because he’s lost his head.
“He has not helped the team for the next eight minutes, or for the next game. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculous behavior. He can’t help himself.
“Just get him down the tunnel, get him away from any of the officials! West Ham, with their passive play, have helped Liverpool get back on track, and that has helped them even more.
“He’s a real talisman but just has a knack of losing his head at times. Just a really ridiculous situation.”
Paqueta applauded sarcastically as he left the field
Paqueta applauded sarcastically as he left the field (Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Paqueta took to social media to explain the reaction that led to his sending off, writing: "It's ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation.
"Perhaps this ridiculous behavior is just a reflection of everything I've had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring! I'm sorry if I'm not perfect."
Paqueta was cleared of spot-fixing charges earlier this year after he was accused of deliberately getting booked for betting purposes. The investigation by the English Football Association into Paqueta began in August 2023, and he was cleared in August 2025.