Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has slammed Liverpool defender Andy Robertson for his "stinking" performance against Fulham after he was sent off in the first half.

The Scottish left-back had a day to forget at Anfield as he was dismissed following a late tackle on former Reds attacker Harry Wilson. Following a lengthy VAR check, the referee's original decision was adjudged to have been correct after last-man Robertson took down his ex-teammate outside the box.

The officials in Stockley Park deemed that Wilson had been onside in the build-up to the goal, with Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk playing him on. This dismissal capped off a frantic 15 minutes on the field for Robertson, who had been involved in a host of key moments in the game up until then.

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The Premier League issued the following statement on the VAR decision: "The referee issued a red card to Robertson for a foul on Wilson which denied a goal scoring opportunity. VAR checked to confirm the red card and that Wilson was in an onside position."

Reacting to the Scotland captain's struggles against the West Londoners, one-time Premier League winner Sutton was critical of his showing on BBC Radio 5 Live. The ex-Blackburn and Chelsea striker said: "What an absolute stinking afternoon for Andrew Robertson. Had that collision earlier, then deflected Pereira's shot in and then has been sent off."

As Sutton alludes, the former Hull City full-back had been on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Issa Diop only a minute into proceedings at Anfield. Referee Tony Harrington issued a yellow card for the foul, with a VAR check later determining that the official had made the correct call.

A statement on the matter from the Premier League later read: "The referee issued a yellow card to Diop for a challenge on Robertson. VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee’s call of reckless challenge and yellow card."

Following on from this, Robertson was right at the heart of the action once again as he deflected Andreas Pereira's opener past Alisson Becker. The Brazilian attacking midfielder met a well-weighted cross with an acrobatic effort, which eventually took a ricochet off Robertson before nestling in the net.

Already a goal down, the Scotsman's subsequent dismissal left his side with a mountain to climb to come back into the game and prevent defeat. Coming into the clash, Arne Slot's team had established a significant lead at the top of the Premier League after a strong start to the campaign.

The Reds had only tasted defeat once in the top flight so far this term, with that loss coming against Nottingham Forest. In total, the pace-setters had won 11 games out of 14 - with Slot's start to life in the Anfield hotseat the best of any manager in the club's illustrious history.