Chelsea comfortably beat Southampton 5-1 on December 4, moving into second place on the Premier League table. The Saints were reduced to 10 men just before halftime when captain Jack Stephens received a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Stephens’ red card came after a VAR review, which suggested violent conduct. Referee Tony Harrington was alerted to the incident by the Video Assistant Referee, leading to the dismissal of the Southampton captain six minutes before the break. At the time, Southampton was already trailing 3-1, and the match ended 5-1, increasing pressure on manager Russell Martin.
This was Stephens’ second red card of the season. He was previously sent off against Manchester United in September for a foul on Alejandro Garnacho, which led to a three-match suspension. However, after insulting match officials as he left the pitch, the FA extended his suspension to five matches.
As for his red card against Chelsea, Stephens will be banned for four games instead of the usual three for violent conduct. The FA’s regulations state that a player who receives a second red card for violent conduct in the same season will face a four-match ban.
