Saturday 28 January 2017 18:50, UK
Sam Allardyce was left to rue defensive errors and Yaya Toure escaping a red card after Crystal Palace's 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Manchester City.
Referee Mike Jones opted not to send Toure off for bundling Jordon Mutch to the floor, just three minutes after the midfielder had been booked for a late challenge on Joe Ledley.
The game was goalless at that point, but City scored late in the first half and then twice after the break, including a free-kick from Toure, to book their place in the fifth round.
"They should have been down to 10 men as he had been booked for less a few minutes before that, so that was a sending off," said Allardyce.
"For me, with the consistency that the referee had shown during the game, that was a certain yellow card."
Although Allardyce was aggrieved by the decision, he added: "I have more to worry about, such as the goals we conceded, than referees at the moment.
"Our game is OK in parts and we look quite comfortable, but then we make errors and the first two goals today proved that opposition of Manchester City's quality will punish you.
"For me it's still about working to minimalise those errors and that if we do make one, then we don't allow the opposition to score, but that was the problem again today.
"I thought we were going to get to half-time at 0-0 after we recovered from a sticky start where City controlled proceedings for the first 15 minutes and we found it difficult to keep the ball, but we worked our way into the game and had a couple of half-chances before conceding a soft goal.
"We chased the game because it's the FA Cup and you have to get back in it, but we opened up and the second goal was City at their best."
Palace also saw January signing Jeffrey Schlupp limp off in the second half.
"Schlupp is a big blow with a hamstring problem so he'll be missing for a while," said Allardyce.
"(And the signing of Sunderland's Patrick van Aanholt is) close but I'm not absolutely certain it's finished yet. Hopefully he'll be involved on Tuesday (at Bournemouth).
"I've no idea what the situation is with Andros (Townsend) other than that Steve (Parish) the chairman has not told me Newcastle have made any type of bid whatsoever for us to consider. So that's not even in the back of my mind."
