Day of shame: Record 19 red cards shown as two-footed lunges become the norm

Horror tackles and petulant behaviour overshadowed an otherwise enthralling Boxing Day programme. When the dust settled Manchester United had returned to the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win at Sunderland, a point clear of Arsenal who were held 0-0 at Portsmouth.

Chief villain of the day was Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho, who was forced to apologise for a two-footed challenge on Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The Portugal star, one of three players dismissed in a seesaw 4-4 thriller at Stamford Bridge, said: 'It was never my intention to hurt Agbonlahor with the tackle. I was going for the ball and I don't want people to think I tried to hurt another player. I didn't see him after the game to apologise but I asked for a message to be passed on to him.'

Chelsea manager Avram Grant, who saw Carvalho's fellow defender Ashley Cole sent off for deliberate handball late on, was quick to defend his players.

Grant said: 'For me what's important is that Carvalho did not intend to hurt the player — I didn't see any intention. The red card was the decision of referee Phil Dowd and I respect it.'

Grant will appeal against Cole's red card. The manager added: 'I saw it again on the television and it was not a penalty.'

Villa centre half Zat Knight was also sent off for a professional foul moments before half time.

The dishonour of being the first man to see red yesterday went to Reading's Brynjar Gunnarsson, whose two-footed lunge on Hayden Mullins in Reading's 1-1 draw at West Ham was a further example of a worrying trend. His manager Steve Coppell at least accepted that he deserved to go.

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley, commenting on Gunnarsson's foul, said: 'At the start of the season the referees' leader, Keith Hackett, told us in no uncertain terms if you leave the ground with both feet in a challenge you're off — no matter if you get the ball.'

In another shameful display, managers Rafael Benitez and Paul Jewell squared up to each other on the touchline and had to be separated by the fourth official as Liverpool earned a late 2-1 win over Derby at Pride Park.

Derby boss Jewell was angered by the reaction of Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin to a challenge from home full back Jay McEveley, prompting a confrontation with his Spanish counterpart.

Jewell said: 'McEveley never touched him. If he had, then Voronin would never have got up. I just didn't agree with it.'

Liverpool won the game with a last-minute Steven Gerrard goal after McEveley had cancelled out Fernando Torres' opener.

Benitez said: 'It was a bad tackle but we clearly had different points of view on it. But it's OK. At least he [Jewell] did not come across and tackle me.'

Fulham substitute Moritz Volz's dismissal for a second yellow card in his side's 5-1 capitulation at Tottenham made it five red cards in the Premier League.

The previous low for dismissals in a day was 17 on December 21, 2002.

Yesterday, the Coca-Cola Championship and League Two witnessed four sendings-off each but the busiest referees were in League One, with six red cards waved. Three came at Bristol Rovers, where Luton's Steve Robinson, Chris Coyne and Anthony Grant all walked in a 1-1 draw.