Brighton defender Pascal Struijk has had the red card he was shown at Sunderland overturned following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.
Struijk was sent off after 57 minutes of Saturday’s match at the Stadium of Light. He was adjudged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as the striker tried to run on to a through-ball. Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant awarded a foul in the first instance, but the video assistant referee, Neil Davies, intervened and called the on-field official to the pitchside screen. After watching the replay multiple times, Bramall showed Struijk a straight red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, a decision greeted with disbelief by the Brighton players.
That call has now been reversed, meaning Struijk will not have to serve a one-match ban. He will be available for Brighton’s Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend.
The sending-off came early in Struijk’s Brighton career. The defender joined the club from Leeds in a £20m move during the summer and was making only his second Premier League start for his new side.
Despite the dismissal, Brighton went on to win the match 2-0, continuing a strong start to the season. The Seagulls sit third in the table, five points behind leaders Manchester City.