An unwanted birthday card for Ndidi as Crystal Palace run riot against Leicester
The Leicester star was sent off following a ridiculous dive against Crystal Palace.
Turning 21, the Nigerian midfielder would have hoped for three points at home against a hot and cold Palace team, but soon found himself in a team slightly off the boil, struggling with pace and 2-0 down to goals from Benteke and a wonderful bit of skill from Wilfried Zaha.
It all looked on the up for Ndidi and Leicester when they had the ball in the back of the net but the goal was ruled out for a push and, moments later, Ndidi, already booked, was surging into the Palace box where, untouched, he dramatically threw himself to the deck to try and win a penalty.
The referee spotted it immediately and had no choice but to make it a very unhappy birthday for the youngster, who has impressed this season.
Scott Dann, one of the men close to Ndidi, immediately called for a card and Martin Atkinson, who got some stick from the crowd, assuming Ndidi had been brought down.
As Ndidi trudged off the park, the crowd applauded him and chanted, "You're not fit to referee" at Atkinson. Earlier this week, there was a lot of talk about Ndidi's stats pointing to him being a decent replacement for Kante and Drinkwater, both now at Chelsea.
But he's now looking like he'll be sat in the stands for a few weeks as the FA clamps down on simulation, with retrospective bans being implemented earlier in the week.
Things just got worse for Leicester too, a last minute goal making it 3-0, bringing their hot run of form to a halt.
Claude Puel has been a man keen to give opportunities to youngsters, showing great faith in the likes of Ndidi and Gray in midfield, but now he may have some selection headaches ahead of Leicester's next few games--- one in the cup against Manchester City, then Premier League games against Manchester United, Watford and Liverpool.
The club will be hoping the loss of Ndidi, a vital part of Leicester's defensive ranks with his wonderful defensive abilities and stamina when protecting the back four, doesn't affect them too much when they come up against some tricky teams in the next few winter fixtures.