Derby County's goal hero Jason Knight apologised to Krystian Bielik for his "lazy" pass in the lead-up to the sending off against Charlton.
The 19-year-old, whose brace inspired 10-man Derby to a 2-1 victory, saw his pass go astray before Bielik lunged in recklessly against Conor Gallagher.
Referee Jeremy Simpson showed the former Charlton loanee a straight red card which reduced the hosts to 10 men.
Knight had edged the hosts in front prior to the sending off, but then grabbed just his second-ever senior goal after half-time, before Lyle Taylor's late penalty set up a tense finish at Pride Park.
Knight told the club's website: “I was frustrated in myself because it would be a lazy pass and I went in and said sorry to Krystian and apologised to him [afterwards].
“We reacted well to it and we got on with the game very well.”
READ: Bowyer: 'We weren't good enough and we got exactly what we deserved - nothing'
It failed to detract from a special night for him nonetheless as he reacted fastest to a loose ball inside the Charlton penalty area to head in the opener after 11 minutes.
After goalkeeper Dillon Phillips thwarted Martyn Waghorn at close-range from Andre Wisdom's inviting cross, the ball looped into the air before Knight scrambled to it and nodded home.
The midfielder said: “I’ll take what I can get, really. If it goes in off my head then I will take it. I saw the ball drop and I just thought I would throw myself at it and see what happens.
“I got a nice boot out of it in the face but that happens sometimes.”
READ: Charlton's top scorer out for a 'few weeks' in yet another injury blow
That was before he combined with fellow 19-year-old Max Bird to score the second, wandering in unmarked at the back post for an easy finish.
He added: “I gave Max Bird a lot of praise to pick me out in that situation. There were a lot of bodies running at him in that situation and then it was a nice little finish from myself and it was nice to get a second goal to secure the win at the end.”
Bielik helped Charlton win promotion to the Championship last season via the League One play-offs when he joined on loan from Arsenal.
He then left the Gunners to join beaten play-off Championship finalists Derby that summer on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here