Villa left-back Stephen Warnock has had his booking in Saturday’s draw at Everton rescinded – but the caution could still be transferred to captain Stiliyan Petrov.

Referee Lee Probert wrongfully yellow carded Warnock rather than Petrov, following a foul by the Villa skipper on Toffees forward Yakubu.

It would have been the former Blackburn man’s fourth booking of the season – leaving him just one caution away from a one-match ban – but the decision has now been overturned.

But boss Martin O’Neill admits the yellow is likely to be switched to Petrov – putting the Bulgarian himself on four cautions.

The manager said: “I think the referee has accepted that he got the identification wrong. Stephen Warnock will get that rescinded.

“You would think the referee, having had a pretty tough time of it on Saturday (after coming under fire for sending off Carlos Cuellar) would give us a wee bit of light relief, but I’m not so sure that would happen.

“If it is mistaken identity I think that sometimes gets handed on. I assume it will go on to Stiliyan.”

Warnock admitted his relief that he will not be treading a suspension tightrope at West Ham tomorrow night.

He said: “I spoke to the referee after the game and said ‘You’ll have to look at that decision again’, but he actually told me it was a foul after Petrov’s foul.

“I didn’t actually do anything, he fell on me and he booked me for it. It would have put me on four bookings, which would have been disappointing. I’d have been treading a tightrope.

“When I spoke to him on the pitch he didn’t want to know and it’s poor. Surely if you make a wrong decision you’ve got to overturn it.”