'Are you kidding me?' - Rangers vs Kilmarnock red card deemed 'harsh' by pundits amid deliberate handball claim

Killie defender Joe Wright was sent off following a VAR check after blocking Dujon Sterling's goal-bound effort with his hand

Former Rangers striker Steven Thompson exclaimed “you are kidding me” after Kilmarnock defender was shown a red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity during Sunday’s Premiership clash at Ibrox.

Kilmarnock's Joe Wright blocks an effort by Rangers' Dujon Sterling with his hand which leads to a penalty and a red card following a VAR check | SNS Group

placeholder image — Kilmarnock's Joe Wright blocks an effort by Rangers' Dujon Sterling with his hand which leads to a penalty and a red card following a VAR check | SNS Group

The BBC pundit was left in disbelief as he questioned referee David Dickinson’s call to send the Killie stopper for an early bath after only 22 minutes for a deliberate handball as he attempted to block Dujon Sterling’s goal-bound effort on the line.

Dickinson was summoned across to review the incident on the pitchside VAR monitor before awarding a spot kick and brandishing a red card for Wright. Gers skipper James Tavernier missed the subsequent spot-kick - his fifth slip up from 12 yards this season - as visiting keeper Will Dennis got down low to make a smart save and push the ball away to safety.

While Thompson and fellow pundits Kenny Miller and Stuart McCall unanimously agreed it was a stonewall penalty award, the decision to send Wright off proved a major talking point with the Ayrshire outfit leading 1-0 at the time. Reacting to the decision live on air, Thompson barked on BBC Sportsound: “Oh you are kidding me! That is so, so harsh. He's not deliberately tried to stop it in my opinion.” Former Rangers boss 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 hitman Miller offered his take on the decision, admitting: “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.”