Leicester City were reduced to ten men while 1-0 down against West Ham after Michael Oliver (via VAR) gave Ayoze Perez his marching orders.
Perez, off balance, collided with West Ham’s goalscorer Pablo Fornals and left him in a heap. On first viewing, it was difficult to see what had happened.
After the Sky Sports cameras showed the replay, with Perez planting his studs into Fornals’ ankle, you sensed a VAR intervention was on its way… and it was.
Pictures courtesy of Canal+
Michael Oliver only needed to see the replay once in slow-motion to determine that Perez’s actioned justified a red card, and he got it spot on.
Regardless of whether Perez could have pulled out or not, it was reckless, it was out of control and Fornals was lucky to escape it without a broken leg.
It’s a career first red card for Perez, and you wonder whether it could prove costly for Leicester this evening.