Neil Warnock explained his decision to send on Lee Tomlin on from the bench after 74 minutes – and then take him off during injury time.
The Bluebirds manager said it was because of the way Bolton Wanderers players Darren Pratley and Karl Henry were trying trying to get at home.
“I took him off at 2-0 because I could see what Henry and Pratley were doing to wind him up and get him sent off, so why not get him off?,” said Warnock.
“We’d lost the points, we didn’t want to lose a player as well.”
Tomlin had replaced Loic Damour to add extra creativity in the Cardiff team, while he was replaced by Liam Feeney four minutes into injury time.
Warnock also gave his opinion on the penalty which changed the course of the game and gave Bolton a massive advantage.
“With the penalty it’s hit his hand and we have no complaints about that,” said Warnock. “But deliberate handball? Come on!
“You don’t get things like that given in a game like this. It’s a Championship game! I think you know when it’s a penalty and they were really fortunate to get that.
“When you come up against a side like Bolton you need a strong referee and I think he was weak. I thought some of the challenges were horrendous early doors and I think we’ve had more bookings than them.”
Cardiff had Lee Peltier, Bruno Manga, Greg Halford and Loic Damour cautioned, while Bolton had three players booked.
Warnock’s men now have back-to-back home fixtures against Fulham on Boxing Day and Preston North End on Friday, December 29.
