The FA penalised Southampton defender for swearing at referee in Man United match

The recent Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United was not only marked by a 3-0 victory for the Red Devils, which is the latest triumph of Erik ten Hag's team so far, but also by a rather unflattering episode on the part of the Saints' players.

This match was played in the minority after referee Stuart Attwell showed a direct red card to Jack Stevens in the 79th minute. The defender himself didn't really appreciate the gesture, calling fourth official Gavin Ward a ‘little c***’.

Still, these actions of the player ‘appreciated’ by the Football Association of England, which considered the incident at its meeting. At the meeting, Stevens admitted that he should not have expressed himself in such a way, and did it on emotion, because he felt additional responsibility as captain.

However, remorse didn't help the defender avoid responsibility. According to The Athletic, Stevens was suspended for two matches and fined £50,000. That's on top of the three-match suspension he received for a sporting offence. He has already served it, so Southampton will be without their captain for the matches against Arsenal and Leicester.