These are types of incidents that would be giving us all palpitations had we qualified for the World Cup.
With that anxiety stripped away, the only appropriate response to Marcos Alonso's appalling stamp on Shane Long this afternoon is one of seething, righteous anger. (Along with some weary resignation that Mike Dean didn't so much as give a foul, despite the fact he was looking directly at the incident).
With Southampton leading a pitiful Chelsea 1-0 minutes before half-time, Shane Long drew on his GAA Background as he went foraging in a ruck of bodies. As he tried to make his way out of it, Marcos Alonso inexplicably stamped his studs toward the back of Long's knee.
Speaking on Sky, Matt Le Tissier said that "there's only one thing on Alonso's mind there - that's to hurt Shane Long".
Dennis Wise, meanwhile, was hugely critical of Mike Dean for failing to send Alonso off.
It's a joke by Mike Dean He knows what's gone on, and he's turned a blind eye to it. He'll turn around now and say he hasn't seen it. If he didn't see that, he shouldn't be refereeing and he needs glasses. Simple as that. It's a red card.
As this angle shows, Dean's angle was perfect.
Long was thankfully okay to continue having received treatment for a couple of minutes.
