West Ham star Mohammed Kudus was shown a straight red card for a moment of madness during his side’s defeat to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.
The winger struck two different players in the face after tensions boiled over in the London derby, prompting VAR to intervene and request that referee Andrew Madley review the incident after initially brandishing a yellow card.
With his side trailing 4-1, Kudus attempted to break down the right wing but was easily dispossessed by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven. When trying to win the ball back, Kudus then brought down the centre-back but continued to kick out at the Dutch international after he had hit the deck.
After kicking Van de Ven twice, the Tottenham defender shoved Kudus away before rising to his feet and confronting the forward on his actions. The 24-year-old responded by shoving the defender in his face to spark both teams to clash, with Van de Ven falling to the ground clutching his eye.
Kudus then stepped backwards as Spurs players swarmed around him, which saw him accidentally bump into Richarlison with the back of his head after the Brazil international had looked to storm towards him.
Pape Sarr then rushed to the aid of his teammates and was shoved with both hands in the face by Kudus in another act of violent conduct from the ex-Ajax star as he allowed his frustrations to get the better of him.
After some of the calmer players on the pitch managed to separate the teams, referee Madley gave Van de Ven and Kudus a yellow card each. However, VAR then intervened to rule that the incident required an on-field review for violent conduct from the latter.
Madley watched the series of clips before changing his mind and giving Kudus his marching orders, in what was an unnecessary blow for the Hammers after what has already proved a tricky campaign so far.