Kilmarnock red card vs Rangers deemed 'harsh' as pundit exclaims 'are you kidding me?'

Steven Thompson was left in disbelief after Kilmarnock stopper Joe Wright was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Killie took an early lead at Ibrox as James Tavernier bizarrely deflected in Matty Kennedy's effort after just 12 minutes. But the Ayrshire side were reduced to ten men just ten minutes later after defender Wright cleared Dujon Sterling's goal-bound shot off the line with his hand.

David Dickinson was soon summoned to the VAR monitor and the referee pointed to the spot and reached for his top pocket to brandish the red card. Rangers skipper Tavernier stepped up and MISSED his fifth spotkick of the season as keeper Will Dennis produced a brilliant save to turn the ball around the post.

But while there were no arguments over the stonewall penalty award, Dickinson's decision to send Wright for an early bath was questioned by pundits. Reacting live to the red card, ex-Gers striker Thompson exclaimed on BBC Sportscene: "Oh you are kidding me! That is so, so harsh. He's not deliberately tried to stop it in my opinion."

Former Rangers hero Stuart McCall said: "He's stopped a goalscoring chance but I don't think it's deliberate. He's a foot away and it's hit him. The ball is going into the goal but in no way is it deliberate."

Ex-Light Blues hitmian Kenny Miller added: "What I would say about it is it hits his hand and he stops a goal, so for me it's a penalty. But he's off balance. He's trying to get back and drop his body into a position where he can block it. His arm is always going to rise.

"I think it's a penalty but a harsh red card. He's actually fallen back so his hand naturally comes up. He's stopped the goal so it's a penalty for me, but a really, really harsh red card. This has been the most chaotic 21 minutes of football I've ever watched."