This had occurred during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Derby County in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

A superb display by Derby County’s skipper Wayne Rooney lit up Selhurst Park but the match would be remembered for Milivojevic’s dismissal, after an off-the-ball clash with Tom Huddlestone.

Milivojevic appeared to kick out at Huddlestone and then pushed his forehead towards Huddlestone.

Both players were initially shown yellow cards but referee Michael Oliver, advised by VAR officials at Stockley Park, then went to his pitch-side monitor to look at the incident again.

Having done so he upgraded Milivojevic’s card to a red.

Since the introduction of VAR in the Premier League this season, referees have waited for VAR decisions to be made by officials at Stockley Park.

It is a situation that has been criticised by players, pundits and fans though.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson said he felt the decision was harsh and questioned the way the decision had been made.

“I am not surprised the VAR monitors have been used because that’s what people have been talking about: `why don’t we use the monitor more’.

“But as far as the incident is concerned, I think it was a harsh decision.

“I don’t think Huddlestone has made a meal of it to his credit. Not much I can do about it.

“If it’s going to be the referee’s decision, what’s the point of the people in Stockley Park?” he told reporters.

Derby County’s win was masterminded by former Manchester United and England forward Rooney.

He was playing his first FA Cup tie for two years after returning to join Championship side Derby County after a spell with D.C. United in the U.S.

Playing in a deep midfield role, the 34-year-old ran the game in only his second appearance for the Rams.

Chris Martin scored the winner, but it was Rooney’s controlled display that caught the eye.

He had 77 touches in the match, more than any Crystal Palace player, launching pinpoint passes in all directions.

Rooney, who won the FA Cup with Manchester United, was once undermined by his volatile temperament on the pitch, but he was calmness personified, acting as peacemaker, when tempers frayed.

“Rooney influenced the game a lot because you could see his experience.

“I think he did very good. He played (in) a more controlled position.

“A big part of the success today is the combination between him and Tom Huddlestone. It was a pleasure to watch,” Derby County manager Phillip Cocu said of the ex-England captain.

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VAR was introduced in the Premier League for the first time this season and there is no sign of the controversies dying down nor of fans warming to the use of the technology.

“Every weekend is a big mess. In other games, it was a big mess. Hopefully next season, it can do better,” said Guardiola after City’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Sunday.

It was one of several games which saw a goal overruled for the most marginal of offside calls, after VAR’s geometrical lines had been used to deliver a time-consuming verdict.

The Yorkshire side looked to have grabbed the lead through Lys Mousett in the 28th minute but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review found the slimmest of margins for offside.

Moments after the incident, both sets of supporters expressed their opposition to VAR in a loud, united chant, while United fans also adopted the ‘It’s not football any more’ anthem that has become a familiar refrain at various games.

United manager Chris Wilder noted Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki had a similar goal ruled out for a fractional offside decision in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday and said there had been “eight or nine” incidents over the weekend.

“There’s no conclusivie evidence, blurred lines and angles. There needs to be a more clear way of defining it,” he said.

Asked about the City fans joining in with the visitors in expressing strong opposition to VAR, Wilder said he was not surprised.

“Up and down the country, all the people at Norwich, a four-letter word about VAR, these are proper football people,” he said.

Asked whether the system needed to be reformed or fully scrapped, Wilder said: “It’s not my decision, it has to improve. Yet again, it’s the first question, eight or nine goals knocked off.

“Where there’s so much debate on every goal, it will be analysed yet again. I just don’t think it’s been refined enough to make a difference.”

He was also upset about City’s first goal where referee Chris Kavanagh appeared to obstruct United defenders before Kevin De Bruyne found Sergio Aguero for the opener.

“I’ve been to see the referee and he has been honest about it. We make mistakes and I believe he made one too.

“We talk about the new rule where if the referee touches the ball then he has to blow up. So surely if he is in the way and hinders us, then he makes a sensible decision.

“If he made the sensible decision then I don’t think anyone in the ground would have said anything about it,” he said.

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Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, preferred by Pep Guardiola to Sergio Aguero in attack, opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a deft close-range finish after a scorching burst and low cross from Kyle Walker.

Sterling made it 2-0, six minutes after the interval, with a cool finish after Kevin De Bruyne had burst from midfield and fed the England forward.

Jesus then became the first player to have a goal disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Premier League when, in the 53rd minute, he finished off Sterling’s pass following a fine move.

However, the VAR adjudged that Sterling was marginally offside as he ran into the box.

VAR, making its debut this season, was used again to review and eventually validate Sterling’s second, when he collected a lofted ball into the box and lobbed West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

The video staff were busy again in the 84th minute when City were awarded a penalty for Issa Diop’s foul on Riyad Mahrez.

Substitute Aguero’s soft penalty was saved but VAR ruled that Declan Rice was encroaching into the box and referee Mike Dean ordered a re-take — which the Argentine scored before Sterling completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Last season’s runners-up Liverpool began their campaign with a 4-1 win over Norwich City at Anfield on Friday, but City’s emphatic victory was another sign that we could be in for a repeat neck-and-neck battle between the leading pair.

The result was City’s eighth successive win in competitive matches against West Ham, in which time they have scored 28 goals and conceded four.

Guardiola was pleased with his team’s second half display but had some critical words for their performance in the opening 45 minutes.

“It was difficult away from home, 12:30 kick-off, hot. The first half was not good. We didn’t control second balls and lost a lot of balls,” said the Spaniard.

“It was important to get three points, a clean sheet. At 2-0, they have a chance. Overall for the first game it is an incredible result.

“The second half was much better. More calm, but still we have many things to improve.”

Guardiola said that the VAR decisions were a reminder of the need for a team to keep their cool in what are still unusual situations.

“You have to be mentally strong when VAR is not on your side. You think at 0-3 the game is almost over but at 0-2, the game is completely different.

“You have to be calm and be strong, it is going to change the dynamic not just for the team but for the spectators,” he said.

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He said the time taken to confirm his opponents’ goal had unsettled his team.

The VAR system was introduced at the quarter-final stage and is being used in the competition for the first time.

It made its first significant intervention when it overruled a linesman’s decision to disallow Bongani Zungu’s goal for offside.

“For five minutes we had to wait, goal or no goal, and that was hard for my team,” the German told reporters in Cairo.

“The second goal did not go in for us and then you have seen this free kick, and this VAR decision ——- you never know what can happen with VAR on a free kick.”

Rohr also praised the character of his side who came back from 2-1 down to beat Cameroon 3-2 in the previous round and grabbed a late winner in Wednesday’s match.

“Now we are mentally strong and we were able to come back,” he said. “The attitude of my players was wonderful. Such a good relationship with everyone.”

Rohr recalled when Nigeria were beaten 2-0 by South Africa at home in a qualifier for the tournament two years ago, one of his first games in charge.

“We had a young team but this team continued to work and this result perhaps helped us to beat in the next game Cameroon, who were African champions, 4-0 in the same stadium (in a World Cup qualifier).

“So, we will also learn from this match,” he added.

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“If the VAR believes there is a definitive video-clip which helps explain an overturned decision to fans, it will be broadcast on giant screens,” the Premier League said in a statement on Wednesday.

VAR, which allows incidents to be reviewed with the help of video replays, was used at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia and this season’s UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

It will be implemented in the Premier League in England from next season.

The Premier League confirmed it was also looking at ways for supporters to view the clips on handheld devices via an app.

For clubs that do not have giant screens in their stadium, VAR communications will be made through a combination of announcements and messages on scoreboards.

The Premier League has also created graphics that will be displayed on giant screens to explain any VAR-related delay to a match, and any overturned decision.

VAR has already been in use in other top European leagues such as Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga but replays have never been shown to the supporters inside the stadium.

This has left the supporters in the dark while referees take a closer look.

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It was used to award midfielder Pablo Sarabia with Sevilla’s opening goal against FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.

Referee Carlos Cerro del Grande deferred to the video assistants to ensure Sarabia was not in an offside position when he latched on to Luis Muriel’s pass.

Sarabia had given Sevilla a surprise lead against La Liga and King’s Cup holders FC Barcelona in the ninth minute in the Super Cup game in Tangier, Morocco.

The use of VAR was hailed as a success at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and has been approved for use in La Liga this season.

This is following in the footsteps of Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A which introduced the technology last year.

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