Premier League players cannot say they weren’t warned.
The lack of respect shown towards referees had been in the news all week, as Mail Sport set the agenda with their campaign against abuse.
Lewis Dunk and his colleagues should have anticipated a no-nonsense approach heading into the weekend’s return of the Premier League. But the Brighton defender clearly crossed the line with Anthony Taylor on Saturday.
You could see the change in Taylor’s facial expression when Dunk was barking in his ear. Dunk tried to offer an apologetic handshake but the damage was already done, to the extent that Taylor decided a second yellow was not enough.