JAKARTA - The incident of violence when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts took a shot which resulted in Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta lying in the fifth round of the FA Cup match at Selhurst Park Stadium, London. Saturday, March 1, 2025 evening WIB.
Roberts beat Mateta in a real sense. He seemed to have deliberately kicked Mateta who was fighting for the ball with Millwall centre-back Jake Cooper in the duel that was held at Palace's home.
At that time, Roberts ran away from the goal to welcome the ball. Instead of trying to catch the ball, he actually fired a shot at Mateta who actually managed to control the ball.
As a result of Roberts' embarrassing actions that occurred in the eighth minute, Mateta had to undergo treatment for a while on the field. Ironically, Millwall's supporters actually acted dishonorably at all. Instead of showing empathy for Mateta, they actually sang, "let him die" [he just died].
The French national team striker did recover from playing again. Meanwhile, Roberts escaped the penalty for his actions and remained standing under the bar.
But referee Michael Oliver then decided to review the incident via VAR. As a result, Roberts clearly acted that endangered the opposing player. Oliver also changed his decision by giving the 30-year-old goalkeeper a red card.
Practically, Millwall played with 10 players from the start of the match. Mateta himself was still able to play for a few minutes before finally being pulled out in the 15th minute. Not only that, but Mateta was immediately rushed to the hospital for further treatment.
Robertsl's dangerous action immediately drew criticism. Palace leader Steve Parish admitted that he had never seen such a rude violation against the opposing player.
"He is still undergoing treatment at the hospital. We wish him all the best. It must be admitted that there were many incidents that were full of emotions in the match. But this abusive behavior should be followed up," said Parish while speaking at the BBC.
"I've watched many football matches. But I've never seen such brutal acts. An act that was so rude on the field, which was the first time I've seen it," he said.
Meanwhile, football pandit Troy Deeney and Glenn Murray also criticized Roberts' actions. "It was a terrible foul. He actually did a good start in this match. He also had a good chance, but he became a victim of the wrong actions of other players," Deeney said.
Murray actually questioned the referee's performance. According to him, Oliver should have directly reviewed the incident via VAR.
"Michael Oliver may be the best referee we have. I hope he makes the decision to review via VAR. However, he did not stop the match. Usually when there is an injury to the head, the referee should blow the whistle and see the condition of the players," he said.
In that match, Palace completely controlled the game against 10 people. Oliver Glasner's team opened the scoring when Millwall defender Japhet Tangga scored an own goal in the 33rd minute.
Winning 1-0 made Palace even more aggressive in suppressing the Championship club's defense. As a result, Daniel Munoz was able to increase the hosts' advantage in the 40th minute. Score 2-0 to Palace.
When entering a long injury time, Millwall managed to reduce his lag. Midfielder Wes Harding managed to break into Palace's goal in the 40+13 minute. The score changed to 2-1 and lasted until the end of the first half.
Entering the second half, Palace returned to control the game. The effort paid off after Eddie Nketiah who replaced Mateta scored in the 81st minute. Palace was winning 3-1 and the score lasted until the game was over.
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