Chelsea have confirmed they are to appeal against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's "unbelievable" dismissal as his side lost their Worthington Cup semi-final at Tottenham.
Hasselbaink was sent off after 55 minutes at White Hart Lane, with his team already 3-0 behind on the night and losing 4-2 on aggregate.
Television replays showed the Dutchman was not the player who had pushed Teddy Sheringham in the face. That appeared to be Mario Melchiot, who escaped punishment as referee Mark Halsey, whose view was partially obscured by Sheringham, seemingly sent off the wrong Chelsea player.
Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri admitted Hasselbaink's dismissal had probably not turned the course of the game, although he observed "it was very difficult for us without our target man".
"Just when the spirit of Chelsea wanted to try to change the result, Jimmy was sent off. It was unbelievable" Ranieri said.
"He told the referee that he hadn't done anything. Sheringham also told the referee that it was not Jimmy but Melchiot instead, while Melchiot said it was him as well. But Jimmy was still sent off".