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Millwall fans have left social media stunned by their 'bizarre' gesture for goalkeeper gesture Liam Roberts in the wake of his red card. The 30-year-old was sent off in the eighth minute of Millwall's 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend after a flying tackle on Jean-Philippe Mateta. Described as the 'most reckless challenge I’ve ever seen' by Palace owner Steve Parish, Mateta was immediately rushed to hospital after being whacked in the face. The Frenchman was later discharged from hospital after receiving 25 stitches to his ear having been left with a 'severe laceration'. Roberts, who was handed a six-game ban over his foul, has come under intense criticism over the foul, leading Millwall to defend him in an angry statement. And in the eighth minute of the club's 2-0 Championship defeat to Bristol City on Tuesday night at The Den, the home fans showed their support for the shot-stopper. In a video shared by talk SPORT's Ian Abrahams, supporters could be seen rising to their feet to loudly clap. It has left rival fans left stumped, as one mystified X user commented: "Bizarre. Bloke takes off Mateta’s head nearly and he’s the victim? " Another messaged: "Nah, this has gotta be a joke. " A third added: "So embarrassing especially in such a empty Den. " This fan then simply stated: "Everything about this is so embarrassing. " Though Millwall fans found the funny side over the gesture, as one said: "Mate I f****** love my football club. " Meanwhile another posted: "Hahahahaha we do take the p*** don’t we. " But talk SPORT co-host Jason Cundy certainly wasn't laughing over the incident as he fumed on The Sports Bar. He remarked: "Millwall have come out defending their player, and I get it. I don't think he meant to do what he did to Mateta. "It was an honest challenge, reckless. I said, and I stick to it, I don't think it's just a red card, three-game ban, I think it's more than that. "There is no place on the football field for that challenge. That's not just a kick in the head. "I've seen kicks in the head, we've all seen it, we've all played in games, right? That's not a kick in the head. There's no play, that challenge should never be seen on a football field. "Some of the stick that he's got, I've not seen it all, but by all accounts, it's quite bad. " He added: "But I mean, clapping at eight minutes, drop me out on that one, mate. "That's embarrassing. It's embarrassing. But they're not the only embarrassing football club that do it, Millwall. "Pretty much every club out there does something similar. They all do it, mate. T-shirts come out, pray for, hashtag, pray for this player. " Cundy's co-host Jamie O'Hara then added: "To applaud him in the eighth minute, I have to say, is a strange one for Millwall fans. "They've been saying there's all this heat around, talking about the situation of the incident and how it's got so much talking points, and then they've gone and done that and raised even more talking points. " Having the final say, Cundy then stated: "Do you know what makes me laugh? Here's the thing that makes me laugh about Millwall, right? "We've been told for years and years, we're Millwall. .. you're embarrassing your club. "You do care, and now you're doing a minute's applause. We're Millwall. Everyone hates us. We don't care. Yeah, you do. Yeah, you care. " Roberts linked up at Millwall last summer following an impressive season in League One with Barnsley. He has featured in just six matches in all competitions this term - with just two coming in England's second-tier. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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