Alvin Martin, former West Ham defender, was in the gantry commentating on the match and described the incident to talkSPORT. He said: "Forshaw gives him (the referee) no alternative whatsoever. He'd already had a yellow, and rightly so because he had two or three fouls on Dembele in the same move. Wayne Rooney's reaction tells us everything. He spits out on the floor in disgust, because his player has let him down there."
Rooney admitted after the match that he was happy with how his players battled for the match, but ultimately cannot complain about the first sending off. He added: "It's a silly second tackle. It's two yellow cards so I can't complain about that one. But then the attitude, the energy, the courage the players showed… Defending the box, getting blocks in was fantastic. So I’m pleased from that point of view."