Crystal Palace have formally appealed against the red card shown to Jean-Philippe Mateta during Saturday's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, as the club seeks to have the ban overturned or reduced.

Mateta was dismissed in only the 13th minute of the match — at a point when the score was still 0-0 — after referee Michael Oliver judged his challenge on Micky van de Ven to be worthy of a straight red card. Oliver initially showed a yellow, but a VAR review prompted an upgrade to a dismissal.

The challenge caught Van de Ven on top of the ankle, yet Palace maintain the contact was accidental. It is understood that Mateta, 29, believes his eyes were fixed on the ball at the moment of the challenge and that he did not see the Spurs defender in his path.

Three-match ban looms

The France international now faces a three-match suspension if the appeal is unsuccessful. Palace are hoping the panel either overturns the red card entirely or, at minimum, cuts the length of the ban.

The timing could hardly be worse for the club. Palace face Liverpool this weekend in a fixture that carries added significance given the pressure on manager Pierre Sage, whose tenure has made a difficult start since taking charge.