Watch: Incredible WSL red card after West Ham defender PUNCHES opponent in the head

Hawa Cissoko and Sarah Mayling
West Ham's Hawa Cissoko punches Aston Villa's Sarah Mayling in the head during Saturday's WSL clash (Image credit: Beth Fisher / Twitter)

Well, you don't need VAR for that one.

Fans of Aston Villa and West Ham saw one of the most bizarre sending offs in Women's Super League history at the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground on Saturday.

For once, though, it wasn't the referee's brandishing of the red card that will have surprised supporters, but just how blatant it was.

With West Ham leading 2-1 going into injury time, Aston Villa's Sarah Mayling tried to stop Hammers break by wrestling Hawa Cissoko off the ball.

The ref had already blown for West Ham free-kick when Mayling reacted angrily at Cissoko swinging her arm her opponent, pushing the Irons' defender twice.

On the second shove, Cissoko appeared to plant a left-handed punch in the side of Mayling's head:

Cissoko, who has seven caps for France, was swiftly given her marching orders, while Mayling received a yellow for her part in the fracas.

The 91st minute incident wasn't enough to change the result, with two early goals being enough to deliver victory to the visitors.

However, the sending off does change one thing: it means that Cissoko has now received the most red cards in WSL history.

Journalist Beth Fisher reports that the bad-tempered nature of the match didn't end there, either, with West Ham manager Paul Konchesky also receiving a red card for punching a member of Aston Villa's coaching staff.

Conor Pope
Online Editor

Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.

He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.