Ranked: Top 10 Most Bizarre Red Cards In Premier League History | OneFootball

Since the Premier League's inception in 1992, there has been a host of controversial moments which have altered the outcome of games.

The decision to send off a player is never taken lightly by a referee as they cannot afford to make an error at this level due to the competitiveness on show.

While officials are now able to consult VAR before making a final call, this hasn't always been the case.

Incidents involving the likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Ricardo Fuller have required referees to make pivotal decisions in the past.

Here, we take a look at 10 of the most bizarre red card incidents in Premier League history.

10. Eric Cantona - Crystal Palace vs Manchester United (1995)

While it was hard to argue against referee Alan Wilkie's decision to send Eric Cantona off for his ridiculous challenge on Richard Shaw in 1995, the Manchester United's forward's actions after receiving his marching orders were shocking.

Instead of leaving the pitch in a graceful manner, the Frenchman decided to launch a kung-fu style kick at a vociferous Crystal Palace supporter.

Cantona's moment of madness eventually earned him a nine-month ban from football.

9. Steven Taylor - Newcastle United vs Aston Villa (2005)

Introduced as a substitute in the second-half of Newcastle United's meeting with Aston Villa in 2005, Steven Taylor would have been hoping to make a positive impact at St James' Park.

However, with Darius Vassell looking certain to double the visitors' advantage, Taylor managed to produce a monumental error as he blocked the forward's shot with his hand in the penalty area.

Despite an incredible piece of acting which made it look as if he had been struck in the face by the ball, the Newcastle man was dismissed as Gareth Barry converted from the spot.

8. Steve Cook - Norwich City vs AFC Bournemouth (2020)

Another spectacular handball, Steve Cook decided to produce an incredible stop during AFC Bournemouth's clash with Norwich City as he prevented Ondrej Duda from opening the scoring at Carrow Road.

Unsurprisingly shown a red card for this particular act, Cook was forced to watch on from the sidelines as the Canaries sealed a 1-0 victory.

7. Robin van Persie - Stoke City vs Arsenal (2008)

With his side trailing 2-0 to Stoke City, Robin van Persie was unable to contain his frustration as he naively clashed with goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen in the second-half of Arsenal's 2008 showdown with Tony Pulis' team.

The Dutchman was given his marching orders by referee Rob Styles after barging into the Potters shot-stopper as the Gunners slumped to defeat in Staffordshire.

6. Kieran Gibbs  - Chelsea vs Arsenal (2014)

In a rare case of mistaken identity, referee Andre Marriner decided to dismiss Kieran Gibbs for a handball that was actually committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Arsenal's 6-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Although the defender's red card was eventually rescinded, the damage was already done in this particular fixture as the Gunners were completely humiliated by the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

5. Youssouf Mulumbu - West Ham United vs West Bromwich Albion (2013)

With the clock ticking down in West Bromwich Albion's match-up with West Ham United in 2013, Youssouf Mulumbu picked up one of the most ridiculous red cards in Premier League history.

The former Baggies midfielder was sent off in stoppage-time for kicking the ball at Gary O'Neill after being fouled by the midfielder.

4. Cesc Fabregas - West Bromwich Albion vs Chelsea (2015)

Another avoidable dismissal, Cesc Fabregas completely lost the plot in Chelsea' 3-0 defeat to West Brom in 2015.

With the Blues trailing 1-0 to the Baggies at The Hawthorns, the Spaniard launched the ball at Chris Brunt's head as both sides were waiting for a free-kick to be taken.

Chelsea were forced to play the last 60 minutes with ten men as a result of Fabregas' red card.

3. Frederic Piquionne - Everton vs West Ham United (2011)

Frederic Piquionne's over-exuberant celebration during West Ham's clash with Everton resulted in him being shown a second yellow card by referee Peter Walton.

The forward decided to jump into the crowd to celebrate with the Hammers' travelling supporters at Goodison Park after scoring in the 84th minute of the clash.

To make matters worse, Piquionne's header was cancelled out by Marouane Fellaini's injury-time strike as West Ham were forced to settle for a point.

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2. Ricardo Fuller - Stoke City vs West Ham United (2008)

After seeing his Stoke side concede an equaliser in their clash with West Ham, forward Ricardo Fuller decided to slap his team-mate Andy Griffin in the face.

Unsurprisingly shown a straight red card by referee Mike Jones for this incident, Fuller was unable to prevent the Potters from suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Hammers.

1. Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer - Newcastle United vs Aston Villa (2005)

With his side already down to 10 men due to Taylor's dismissal, Newcastle boss Graeme Souness would have both been fearing the worst at St James' Park during the club's clash with Villa.

However, no-one could have predicted what would happen next in this particular game.

An astonishing bust-up between Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer which saw the two Newcastle players trade punches resulted in both midfielders receiving red-cards in one of the most bizarre incidents in Premier League history.

The Magpies would go on to suffer a 3-0 defeat to Villa in a match where they also conceded two penalties.