Ireland veteran Ruesha Littlejohn is facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines after a moment of madness saw her sent off for Crystal Palace on Sunday.
35-year-old Littlejohn joined Palace over the summer after a brief spell at Shamrock Rovers, and has spent much of the WSL 2 season on the bench.
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Most of Littlejohn’s minutes have come in the League Cup, and she started for Sunday’s group tie away to WSL side Leicester City.
Just before the hour mark, however, she would be dismissed for a crazy “judo” style hit on Welsh star Hannah Cain.
A simply sensational judo throw from Ruesha Littlejohn 🤣🤣🤣
— IFB Media (@IFBMedia) November 24, 2025
As players tussled off the ball, Cain shoved Littlejohn, prompting the Ireland midfielder to grab the Leicester forward around the neck and throw her to the ground.
The referee had no hesitation sending the Palace star off, and Littlejohn could now face a longer ban than the standard three games, such was the violent nature of the incident.
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Ruesha Littlejohn facing ban for crazy League Cup red card
The Telegraph report this week that a lengthy ban awaits Ireland’s Ruesha Littlejohn after her red card against Leicester City.
Littlejohn’s headlock tackle will almost certainly be ruled as “violent conduct,” a judgement that has traditionally brought a three-game ban.
However, the Telegraph suggest that this incident may be looked on less favourably, with “particularly severe” incidents bringing the possibility of an even longer suspension.
It was a moment of madness from Littlejohn, who has been named in the Ireland squad for this weekend’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Hungary in Marbella.
Her Ireland teammates Abbie Larkin and Hayley Nolan are also teammates at club level, and both were on the field at the time of Littlejohn’s sending-off.
Nolan was also caught up in the incident – in the above video, she is the number 15 who is also in the midst of confronting Cain when she is thrown to the ground. Larkin was one of the first players on the scene as the tussle developed.
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