The Premier League have introduced a new controversial rule, Gary Neville can't get his head around it

The Premier League have introduced a new rule but former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has questioned its application.

On Saturday, Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina was sent off for two yellow cards against former club Southampton.

10-man Wolves came from behind to claim a huge win against their relegation rivals but the incident was incredibly controversial.

The first was for a foul on Carlos Alcaraz but the second, which led to Lemina's dismissal was when the Gabon international was seen remonstrating to Jarrod Gillett after he failed to award a free-kick.

He was shown his second yellow card for what appeared to be dissent, but Wolves skipper Ruben Neves claimed afterwards that it was because he was the third man to protest and surround the man in the middle.

A baffled Neves said: "You really want to know what he told me? So he told me there were two players running to him and because Mario was the third one he gave him a yellow card. So now we go and check the rules, if there is any.”

But then a carbon copy incident happened in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday. Kevin De Bruyne was brought down cynically by Douglas Luiz and both Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish fumed, asking for a yellow card to be shown.

Ruben Dias then charged over and called for a caution as De Bruyne was in a dangerous position. But, much to Dias' confusion, Rob Jones booked him for dissent instead.

Much like Lemina, he was the third player on his team to complain.

It was the Portugal international's first game back and he was taken off at half-time for Manuel Akanji as a precaution.

Neville couldn't get his head around the practice and questioned it on Sky Sports, saying: "Surely it should be the first man. If you’re the one that’s instigated it, and then your teammates have followed in, it’s got to be the first man that gets booked not the third.

“What happens to the fourth, if there’s a fourth that attends the scene?”

Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports & Premier League

Topics: Premier League, Gary Neville, Ruben Dias

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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