Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr was sent off for pulling the hair of Nathan Saliba during their 1-nil win over Villarreal in La Liga.
The Brazilian thought he had scored, but the goal was then ruled out after the referee reviewed the build-up on the pitchside monitor, with Vinicius clearly seen to have pulled Saliba's hair before scoring.
The referee then showed Vinicius a red card for violent conduct in the 72nd minute, just 20 minutes after he came on as a substitute for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Real had already taken the lead through teenager Yan Diomande, who scored his first goal for the club in the 62nd minute.
Real needed the win after Barcelona defeated Getafe 3-nil earlier in the day as they looked to close the gap on the defending champions.
However, the team struggled to create clear chances before Diomande’s goal, with Kylian Mbappe missing several opportunities and being denied by goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham was also booked during the match.
The result leaves Real six points behind leaders Barcelona after eight matches, with the two sides set to meet on 26th October.
Under the International Football Association Board’s Laws of the Game, pulling an opponent’s hair can be treated as violent conduct and result in a straight red card.
However, Premier League referees have placed greater emphasis on the force used and the player’s intention when judging hair-pulling incidents this season.
Source: BBC Sport
