West Ham's Lucas Paqueta has apologised for his red card against Liverpool but hit out at the Football Association in a furious statement, accusing them of a lack of "psychological support".
At 1-0 down and West Ham still in the game on 84 minutes, Paqueta earned himself two bookings in quick succession for arguing with referee Darren England.
The Brazilian refused to be pulled away by West Ham team-mates or even compatriot Alisson of Liverpool as he continued to argue with the official, eventually earning a second yellow card in the 2-0 defeat.
Paqueta, who was cleared in August of spot-fixing charges following an FA investigation, was only just returning from a one-match ban for an accumulation of five yellow cards already this season.
Replying on X to Sky Sports' video of the incident, where commentator Rob Green calls his reaction "ridiculous", Paqueta said: "It's ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation.
"Perhaps this ridiculous behavior (sic) 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."
In another post on X, Paqueta then apologised to West Ham for his conduct.
He said: "I understand that now I have to come across as the villain, it's hard to live with everything that was caused in my life and in my psyche! I'll keep trying to ensure they don't affect me even more. This doesn't justify my expulsion and that's why I apologize to the fans and my teammates!"
Sky Sports News has contacted the FA for comment.
Nuno Espirito Santo refused to speak about Paqueta's red card in the immediate aftermath of the game, wanting to seek clarity from the player first before commenting.
Nuno said: "I want to speak to him first and try to understand. It's unfair to make a comment without speaking to him.
"It's hard to play with one man less against Liverpool."
Paqueta was cleared of spot-fixing charges that he denied following an FA investigation into four incidents where he picked up yellow cards.
The Brazil international was accused of committing spot-fixing offences in four Premier League matches - against Leicester City in November 2022, Aston Villa in March 2023, Leeds United in May 2023 and Bournemouth last August.
"Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations," Paqueta said after being cleared.