Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe left the Stamford Bridge pitch in a fit of fury after being sent off in her side's 1-0 loss to Chelsea for foul and abusive language.
In what was a strange run of events, Arsenal captain McCabe received both yellow cards in the same incident after her side had given away a late penalty in one of their most crucial games.
Third-place Arsenal headed into the clash already seven points behind league leaders Chelsea and desperately needing a result to close that gap.
While they held the London Derby scoreless for much of the encounter, a clear cut 81st-minute penalty saw both Arsenal's chance at getting a result and their chance to close the gap on Chelsea go down the drain.
Late drama...
Penalty to Chelsea and a red card for Katie McCabe 😲#BBCFootball #WSL #CHEARS pic.twitter.com/4OXOUDmXFY— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 26, 2025
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McCabe reacts furiously to London Derby red card
If conceding a goal in such unnecessary circumstances wasn't costly enough, Katie McCabe's reaction to the awarding of the penalty certainly did the job.
Despite not being the one to give away the spot kick, the 29-year-old Dubliner reacted ferociously to the referee's decision, with her complaints earning her a first yellow card for dissent.
Having been shown the initial yellow, McCabe aggressively bit back at referee Emily Heaslip, who without hesitation went for her red card and sent McCabe to the stands.
Footage of McCabe leaving the pitch after her protests clearly showed her anger at the decision, with the Ireland star lashing out and kicking the tunnel as she made her way off.
Katie McCabe is not happy after that red card 😳 pic.twitter.com/3KX7LLsNKY
— Becky Taylor-Gill (@beckytaylorgill) January 26, 2025
McCabe had been the only Arsenal player to start every league game so far this season, however, that record looks set to come to an abrupt end with McCabe now likely to be sidelined for three games, including her side's crucial tie with Manchester City who sit a single point above Arsenal in the league table.
Her side could also drop further down the standings this evening, with only goal difference keeping them above Manchester United who are set to take on Brighton on Sunday evening.
If Man Utd can take any form of result from that game, McCabe will see her side drop to fourth place in the standings.
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