Manchester City winger James Milner is adamant that it is too easy to get sent off in the Premier League in the modern game.
Both Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny and City captain Vincent Kompany were shown questionable red cards by Mike Dean during the champions' 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
While he sympathises that being a referee is a tough job, Milner believes that they are far too quick to reach for their cards if a player goes into a tackle strongly.
Asked if he was disappointed about the decision to dismiss Kompany, Milner said: "That's the way football is now. It's so easy to get sent off. There are obviously tackles that are dirty and designed to hurt players and you don't want to see that and you don't want to see anyone going in with the intention of injuring another player.
"It's a tough decision sometimes for a referee to get that right, especially with the pace of the Premier League now, but then there are other tackles where both players are going in wholeheartedly – honest players trying to win the ball and just going in strongly.
"I remember starting my career and I thought I'd go through my career without getting sent off. Unfortunately that happened earlier this season. One mistake. One bad touch and I was overstretching for the ball and it was a last man tackle and I got a red. That's the way the game is."
City have since revealed that they plan to appeal Kompany's red card.
Matt Cotton
