Aston Villa skipper Gareth Southgate has come to the defence of referees and claims they are not responsible for the increasing number of red and yellow cards in the FA Carling Premiership.

The England defender believes officials' hands have been tied because of the instructions handed down by UEFA and FIFA and robbed them of being able to use common sense. Southgate refused to blame referee Rob Harris for Saturday's events at Villa Park when Liverpool's former villa defender Steve Staunton was sent off and nine other players were booked.

The actions of the Oxford official completely overshadowed a dreadful goal-less draw and in three Premiership games he has handed out 27 yellow cards - including the two that led to Staunton's dismissal. Southgate himself had been harshly sent off at Leicester the previous Saturday and Villa manager John Gregory slammed that decision by referee Jeff Winter and Saturday's by Harris in dismissing Staunton.

Southgate said: ``I've got to be careful what I say but the rules are such now that the referees are left in a very difficult position. ``It seems any freekick is punished with a booking whereas in the past referees were allowed to use their own judgment on things. ``Unfortunately because of the rules that have come in from outside of this country, from UEFA and FIFA, we are probably having to abide by laws that don't suit our game.

``There is a lot of honesty in our game and I don't blame referees because they are having to follow the letter of the law. ``We are all pleased that the tackle from behind has been cancelled out but there are petty things having to be punished by bookings. ``I don't know what is going to happen - but what I do know is we are going to see an awful lot of bookings and sendings-off.

``Steve Staunton was unlucky to be sent off and the game with Liverpool was ruined as a spectacle but I don't blame refs because their hands are tied.'' Referees' spokesman Phillip Don also defended Harris but also took a swipe at the quality of the football on show.

He said: ``I thought the referee was utterly consistent in his application of the law and it is sad there wasn't the skill and entertainment to stop the referee coming under the spotlight. ``You can't have it both ways because people are moaning sometimes when referees go the other way and let things go.

``Players have also got to accept some responsibility. The referee set his stall out early on and the players didn't get the message. They kept making reckless challenges.'' Gregory, who awarded Winter one out of 10 for his performance at Leicester, was scathing of Harris' showing and called Staunton's sending off ``an outrageous decision.''

But, in truth, the dismissal of the Republic of Ireland player and the abundance of yellow cards were the only talking points from a match which seldom dragged itself above the mediocre. Villa huffed and puffed for long periods but lacked the guile to break down the Liverpool rearguard in which substitute Steven Gerrard impressed after the visitors reorganised following Staunton's dismissal.

Southgate said: ``The sending off killed the game really for them. They were not going to commit too many people forward after that and just tried to play off the break and frustrate us.

``It's disappointing but we are unbeaten at home which was a positive to take out of things. Liverpool made it clear it was a game they could not afford to lose, so it was always going to be very difficult.''