Joao Cancelo’s dismissal against Brighton and Hove Albion has not gone down well with Manchester City fans.
The full-back was adjudged to have denied Danny Welbeck a goalscoring opportunity at the Amex Stadium, and City were forced to play more than 80 minutes with 10 men.
It can be argued that Welbeck did not have the ball under control and that it was the striker who actually pulled Cancelo down.
VAR upheld the decision of referee Stuart Attwell though, and City went on to lose the game 3-2.
City are known for being a lot of things, but a dirty side is certainly not one of them.
Here are the players who have picked up the most red cards for the club in the Premier League:
Richard Dunne – 5
Richard Dunne became a cult hero during his nine-year stint at the club.
The central defender was a fantastic servant for City, and was key to helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League in 2002 (after getting relegated in his first term), and becoming an established top-flight side before the takeover.
He also won City’s Player of the Year award four seasons running from 2004/05 to 2007/08.
He was by no means perfect, picking up five red cards during his time at the club and also scoring a number of own goals.
Dunne may have had his flaws, but City fans loved him.
Fernandinho, Pablo Zabaleta – 4
Somehow, Fernandinho has only managed to collect four red cards for City in the Premier League (so far).
The Brazilian is the absolute master of making tactical fouls and toeing the line, and he’ll undoubtedly go down as one of the club’s most effective players of all-time when he finally leaves.
Former cult-hero Pablo Zabaleta also picked up four, which is not bad going considering he was at the Etihad Stadium for nine years and loved a tackle.
Mario Balotelli, Vincent Kompany, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Danny Tiatto – 3
Four players have picked up three red cards for City in the Premier League.
Two of them had ‘hard man’ status in Kompany and Tiatto, and it is perhaps understandable for them to have had a few dismissals each.
Mario the Maverick Balotelli, as good as he was in spells, was well-known for his ill-discipline and was sent off three times for City.
Unassuming former winger Wright-Phillips is perhaps the most surprising name on this list.
Joey Barton, Bernardo Corradi – 2
Joey Barton was a decent midfielder for City during his five years at the club.
But he was certainly hot-headed and understandably disliked by rival supporters, and it is somewhat surprising he only picked up two red cards for the club in the Premier League.
Ironically, he did get one AGAINST City for Queens Park Rangers during the infamous title-winning game at the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Former striker Bernardo Corradi also received his marching orders a couple of times in Sky Blue.
