Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen was shown a red card in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, as he brought down Sadio Mane who was through on goal and had only the goalkeeper to beat.
Not many Chelsea fans would have been expecting to see Christensen in this game, but the Dane was afforded the chance because he served his suspension in the midweek Carabao Cup game against Barnsley.
According to new Premier League rules, red cards are no longer competition-specific. This rule was put in place at the start of last season. This rule change means that if a player is sent off, they will serve their suspension in their team’s next immediate first-team game.
Only yellow cards are competition-specific, that is, an accumulation of bookings would only count for the competition they are picked up in.
The FA’s rules state that competitions that suspensions apply to are the ‘relevant league in which your club competes, the FA Cup or EFL Cup.’
Nevertheless Chelsea played out a 3-3 draw with West Brom, despite the introduction of Christensen to the team.