It went down in football history as one of the most infamous and controversial sending off incidents the game has ever seen - and would define the careers of all those involved. The year was 1991 and Nottingham Forest are playing West Ham in an FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park. The opening 20 minutes had been bossed by the Hammers, who played in the division below Forest and were clear underdogs. Then came a moment that would alter the course of the match and the entire season, plus set a precedent that would change refereeing and the art of defending for ever.
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Keith Hackett was refereeing the 1991 FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and West Ham at Villa Park
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On 22 minutes, West Ham's Tony Gale brought down Forest's Gary Crosby as he broke clear
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Hackett brandished a straight red card as Gale had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity
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The rules had been changed a couple of days before to allow this
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Gale still questions the decision, while Hackett regrets it
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Forest went on to win the match 4-0 and reached the final
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The defender, who made 300 league appearances for West Ham between 1984 and 1994, also believes his suspension led to @placeholder missing out on the second division championship.