Seven Manchester United players - Anthony Elanga, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay, Fred, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire - surrounded the referee Peter Bankes after the Brighton defender Lewis Dunk upended Elanga on Tuesday night.
It is hardly a line-up as nefarious as in The Usual Suspects and Fernandes was booked for his protests. Bankes flourished a yellow card and a disgruntled Ronaldo accidentally barged into Dunk.
As soon as the Video Assistant Referee Jarred Gillett advised Bankes to consult the pitchside monitor Dunk might as well have started walking towards the tunnel. By the time Bankes had finished his check, Dunk could have already been in the bath had he not waited for the inevitable.
