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Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney believes Cardiff City's Perry Ng was "clever" in the role he played in Ibrahim Cissoko's red card during the Pilgrims' 5-0 thrashing in south Wales.

Cissoko was sent off for shoving Ng to the ground with his team already 2-0 in the first half on Saturday.

The Plymouth forward was retaliating after Ng had kicked the ball at him as he lay on the ground having been tripped by Bluebirds winger Ollie Tanner. Ng was given a yellow card after Cissoko saw red.

"He [Cissoko] has reacted, the player's [Perry Ng] been clever and very dangerous," said Rooney, who had to watch from the stands at Cardiff City Stadium as he served a one-match touchline ban having been sent off during last month's win over Blackburn Rovers.

"He kicked the ball at him on purpose, that could have been a different colour to what he got, Ibs [Cissoko] has reacted in the wrong way.

"The emotions of the game sometimes, you get those reactions and unfortunately that's happened to us today."

Cardiff were already in control and leading 2-0 when Cissoko saw red, and the Bluebirds took advantage of his dismissal to more than double their goal tally for the season in a thumping win which lifted them off the bottom of the Championship table.

"We have to give Cardiff a lot of credit," former England captain Rooney added.

"They deserved to win the game, they were the better team."