Ben Thatcher in big trouble

tsmouth’s Pedro Mendes with an ugly forearm smash which put the Portuguese in hospital after the midfielder suffered a fit while lying unconscious on the pitch.
“What do you have to do to be sent off these days?” stormed Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp. “Kill someone?”
The Football Association and Manchester Police launched investigations, City promptly dropped and fined their own player and referee Dermot Gallagher was taken off his next match. But City then beat Arsenal 1-0 in Manchester with a Joey Barton penalty.
Another Wales star, Ryan Giggs, scored the decider as Manchester United, the early pacesetters, made it nine points from three matches with a 2-1 victory at Watford, champions Chelsea won 2-0 at Blackburn and rejuvenated Aston Villa won by the same score at home to Newcastle.
Striker Andy Johnson, back in the England squad, scored in 10-man Everton’s 2-0 win at Tottenham, while new signings Emile Heskey and Jimmy Bullard were on target as Wigan and Fulham won 1-0 at home to Reading and Sheffield United respectively. Peter Crouch sealed Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat of visitors West Ham and a Darren Bent double steered Charlton to their first win, 2-0 at home to Bolton.
* No Premier League matches are being played this weekend due to a host of international call-ups.