VIDEO: Another Premier League HAIR pull red card as Sunderland's Dan Ballard sent off after VAR review

The incident occurred early in the first half at Molineux as Ballard grappled with Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare. While contesting for the ball, the Sunderland man appeared to grab a handful of the forward's long braids, leading to the game being halted for a video review. Referee Paul Tierney, after consulting the pitchside monitor, deemed the action to be violent conduct and brandished a straight red card.

Despite the dismissal, Sunderland had actually taken an early lead through a Nordi Mukiele header. However, the red card forced the visitors to play over an hour with a numerical disadvantage - a situation Wolverhampton capitalized on in the 54th minute when Santiago Bueno struck the equaliser to level the score.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin found himself at the heart of a fresh refereeing storm during Leeds United's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley last Sunday. The striker appeared to pull the hair of Blues defender Marc Cucurella, yet escaped any formal punishment despite a lengthy VAR review. The decision was particularly glaring as it occurred just weeks after Lisandro Martinez was sent off for the exact same offense against Calvert-Lewin himself - an incident also officiated by Tierney - leaving fans and pundits questioning the blatant lack of consistency in these high-stakes calls.

The Football Association has been clear about its position on this specific type of foul following a series of incidents this season. An official disciplinary panel previously noted that "in the wider interests of football 'hair pulling' ought not to be tolerated and should be discouraged through consistent punishment".

This strict approach has not sat well with many managers in the division. Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been a vocal critic of such dismissals in the past, famously describing a previous hair-pulling red card as “one of the worst” decisions he had ever seen. The Black Cats will now likely face the prospect of being without Ballard for three matches unless they choose to appeal the decision.

Ballard himself appeared shell-shocked by the decision, remaining on the pitch to protest his innocence before eventually making his way down the tunnel. Supporters argued that the defender's eyes were fixed firmly on the ball and that any contact with Arokodare's hair was entirely accidental during the physical struggle for possession.