Elliot in disbelief following Coloccini red

Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot has expressed his shock at Robert Madley's decision to send off Fabricio Coloccini during the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday.

Coloccini was shown red during the 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light following his challenge on Steven Fletcher – the incident leading to Adam Johnson's opening goal from the penalty spot.

Further goals from Billy Jones and Fletcher completed the rout for Sam Allardyce's side, leaving Newcastle second bottom in the Premier League table after a sixth successive defeat to their local rivals.

However, it was the dismissal of Coloccini that left Elliot – who has recently become Newcastle's first-choice keeper following Tim Krul's knee injury – irate.

"The ball got played through. I was sort of waiting for the ball to get past Colo [Coloccini] and Fletcher," he told The Chronicle.

"It went straight through to me. I jumped on it and Fletcher's gone over.

"The ref's decided to give a foul, I couldn't believe it really. In my understanding it has to be a clear goal scoring opportunity. I didn't think it was at all.

"For a decision like that to lead to a sending off and a goal, it doesn't seem fair."