Premier League referee Chris Kavanagh told Declan Rice he had “no choice” but to show him a second yellow card in Albion’s recent draw with Arsenal.
The much-debated incident saw Rice dismissed for his second caution after touching the ball away when Joel Veltman was looking to deliver a quick free-kick to Danny Welbeck.
It was an obvious inclusion on the Premier League’s latest Mic’d Up programme with referee’ chief Howard Webb.
On the VAR audio, Rice can be heard disputing the fact that he had kicked the ball away.
Kavanagh says on the pitch: “I have no choice. He knocks the ball away.
“He has put me in an awful position.
“You need to go, Dec. I don’t like it but he has kicked the ball.”
The VAR team quickly identified there was no violent conduct by Veltman.
Webb told viewers: “We've messaged very clearly and strongly to the players in pre-season around the importance of not getting involved with the ball once the whistle is gone, not delaying the restart in that way.
"Once he has seen Declan Rice deliberately, clearly kick that ball away from the position of that free-kick, then I don't think he's got any choice."
Webb’s assessment also backed up Arsenal complaints that Joao Pedro should have been booked for kicking the ball away in the first half.
Had the correct decision been made, the Brazilian would have been on a yellow card when he scored the goal which gave the Seagulls a 1-1 draw.
Joao Pedro was booked just a few seconds from the end.
Had he committed the same offence when on a yellow, he would have served a one-match ban at home to Ipswich – ironically, a game he missed anyway due to injury.
Mic’d Up also supported the officials’ decision to reverse a decision to award Everton a penalty when Albion won 3-0 at Goodison Park on the opening day of the season.
The audio suggested Simon Hooper was not sure even as he pointed to the spot and he quickly tells Lewis Dunk, who he penalised, that the incident would be reviewed.
Webb said: "That's a good example of a situation where the referee's call was wrong and it needed intervention by the VAR. The intervention was pretty efficient."
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