Lewis-Skelly caught Doherty’s shin and then foot, and Oliver quickly showed a red card, with VAR deciding against sending the referee to the pitchside monitor.

On the Premier League’s website it says high, full and forceful contact on the ankle or above is “considered dangerous” and a “red card”.

Alan Shearer, the competition’s record goalscorer, said the sending off was “one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time”.

“As a referee you can get it wrong on the pitch, you might see something which is incorrect,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Shearer added on BBC Match of the Day: “It should have been a yellow card, it is a terrible decision. There was no speed, no intensity, it was not endangering an opponent and was 90 yards from goal, so never, ever a red card.

“What worries me is there is an assistant VAR and a VAR who have seen several replays and they think it is serious foul play.”

Arsenal substitute Calafiori told Sky Sports that “from the bench, it was clearly not a red card”.