Three Red Cards Issued As Brighton, Forest Draw

Three Red Cards Issued As Brighton, Forest Draw

One player and both managers were sent off as Brighton and Nottingham Forest maintained their unbeaten Premier League records in an entertaining draw.

After four goals at Amex Stadium, the match ended in controversial fashion when Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White was shown a second yellow card for a sliding challenge on Brighton’s Joao Pedro.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler was dismissed by referee Rob Jones, who then also showed a red card to Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo for their reactions to the incident.

Neither manager spoke to the media after the match, leaving it to members of the coaching staff.

“From my point of view Morgan’s tackle looked a strong one but a fair one,” said Nottingham Forest assistant boss Rui Pedro Silva. “Of course the referee has a different point of view – we don’t have to agree but that’s the decision he made.

“On the coaches [red cards] I didn’t hear anything. It was an emotional moment. I didn’t hear anything from Nuno towards the referee. He was of course probably emotional but nothing more than his point of view.”

Brighton coach Andrew Crofts said he was “not 100% sure” why Hurzeler had been sent off, adding: “Their player is going for the ball but it felt like a foul. Their bench felt differently. I didn’t see too much of it but the referee sent the managers off.”

The visitors had gone ahead when former Brighton striker Chris Wood scored against his old club with a well-taken spot-kick after Carlos Baleba tripped Callum Hudson-Odoi in the penalty area.

But two goals in a three-minute spell just before half-time looked to have transformed the match.

Nineteen-year-old midfielder Jack Hinshelwood scored his fourth Brighton goal with an excellent, powerful header from Jan Paul van Hecke’s cross from deep to make it 1-1.

The Seagulls then took the lead in style thanks to Danny Welbeck’s superb 25-yard free-kick that curled around the wall and left away goalkeeper Matz Sels with no chance.

Welbeck almost added a third for the hosts with a fine dribbling run in which he beat three Forest players only to shoot just wide.

But Forest equalised in the 70th minute after breaching Brighton’s offside trap.

Gibbs-White timed his run perfectly to be through on the home goal and unselfishly squared the ball to substitute Ramon Sosa to score his first goal in English football.

Either side would have gone fourth with a win, but instead Brighton remain seventh, while Forest climb a place to eighth.