Norwich City loanee Emmanuel Adegboyega was caught up in a VAR red card episode in Dundee United’s spicy Scottish Premiership 1-0 defeat to Rangers on Sunday.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, who turned 21 on Monday, was shown a yellow card for a lunging challenge on Connor Barron a minute before the interval at Tannadice.

Pinkun columnist Chris Sutton, who was part of the Sky Sports’ panel at the game, felt the match officials and the VAR team made the right call.

“I think yellow is the right decision,” he said. “I don’t think there is that much contact. He doesn’t go overly high and if Rangers players are honest and looked back at it after the game, they’d be disappointed if they got a red card for that. It’s a daft challenge. It is a lunge.”

Adegboyega was substituted at the break, but the hosts were unable to hit back after Tom Lawrence’s seventh minute goal secured the points for the Ibrox club.

Former Rangers forward, Kris Boyd, who was also part of the Sky Sports’ panel, disagreed with Sutton’s half-time assessment.

“There’s probably more contact than what (Benjamin) Kimpioka was sent off for on Saturday (St Johnstone versus Hibs),” he said.

Sutton replied: “It’s a red then, is it?”

Boyd responded: “There’s more contact than that. He’s (Adegboyega) touched Connor Barron there, and there is a lunge and that looks like excessive force there.”

“So it’s a red then?” repeated Sutton, to which Boyd replied: “I think it’s a red card.”

The centre back had an impressive unbeaten start to his season long loan, with Dundee United going into Sunday’s game third in the early standings.

Adegboyega, who was part of Johannes Hoff Thorup's pre-season squad, was plucked from the League of Ireland by the Canaries in 2023 and, speaking to the BBC ahead of facing Rangers, admitted it was likely to be a pinch me moment.

“As a young player these are the games you want to play in," he said. “Looking back a year ago I would only have dreamed to play against Rangers and look at me now, playing against Rangers over the weekend.

"I am just absolutely buzzing to be on the pitch, a full house at Tannadice as well so I just can’t wait to get going.

"We are all playing with the utmost confidence because as a backline we are getting to know each other, building connections and every game we just want to go out and get a clean sheet and help the team win.

"Since we have done that in the previous games, we are just trying to build and gain momentum from there."

Adeboyega now has the chance to reach a Scottish League Cup semi-final on Friday, when Dundee United face Motherwell.