CRYSTAL Palace boss Neil Warnock claimed he was all set to substitute Damien Delaney before the defender was red carded in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
Delaney picked up a second yellow card just before half time - and three minutes after Blues full-back Cesar Azpilicueta saw red for a two-footed challenge on Mile Jedinak.
Warnock said he was ready to bring Adrian Mariappa on for the Irishman, having been concerned referee Craig Pawson could look to even things up.
He also blamed the Chelsea players for the red card, saying: "I thought he [the referee] was influenced today. He had four Chelsea players around him."
Warnock added that he thought the referee's performance "left a lot to be desired".
