MELBOURNE City coach John van’t Schip lashed “inconsistent” refereeing after a 3-3 draw with Perth that opposing coach Kenny Lowe aptly summed up as “controversial”.

Three penalties to City, a disallowed Tim Cahill goal and two 90th minute red cards to Perth’s Dino Djulbic and City’s Fernando Brandan highlighted a match full of flash points.

Djulbic saw red for lashing out at Brandan while he lay in the penalty box, but after consulting with the fourth official, referee Shaun Evans also sent Brandan off.

Lowe questioned why City still received a penalty given that Brandan was deemed to have infringed first.

But Bruno Fornaroli was denied by Liam Reddy for the second time in the match, keeping the scores at 3-3.

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Van’t Schip said he “couldn’t see what was going on”.

“After seeing the footage and hearing the comments of the fourth official and the linesman the referee decided to send both players off,” he said.

Marc Warren gave the two other penalties away.

He was on a yellow card from the 16th minute, but escaped a second booking for both of his fouls on Bruce Kamau that led to spot kicks, which left the City bench incensed.

“The referee was very inconsistent,” van’t Schip said.

“He made five or six more fouls ... but didn’t get a yellow in all of those occasions. I really don’t understand why.”

Evans initially waved away the second penalty shout, only to then give it on advice from the linesman.

Lowe questioned the validity of the decision.

“The ref didn’t give it,” Lowe said.

“The linesman has given it.”

Both Fornaroli and Cahill are designated penalty takers according to van’t Schip, but the coach said he wasn’t about to pull Fornaroli off spot kick duties after his first miss.

“They’re the ones that make that decision on the pitch,” van’t Schip said. “They made a decision about what to do.”