Struijk cleared to face Palace after Sunderland red card overturned
Pascal Struijk is free to face Crystal Palace this weekend after Brighton overturned his red card at Sunderland. The defender will not serve a one-match suspension after the club's claim of wrongful dismissal succeeded. BBC Sport
The dismissal came in the 57th minute at the Stadium of Light. Struijk was judged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as Isidor ran on to a through-ball, a forward pass into space behind the defence. It was a big call in a tight away game.
Referee Thomas Bramall and his assistant first saw nothing wrong. Play carried on. No foul was given.
Then the video official intervened. VAR Neil Davies, the official reviewing the action on screen, called Bramall to the pitchside monitor. After watching the replay, Bramall showed Struijk a straight red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the law used when a foul is judged to stop a clear chance.
Brighton challenged that view. The club argued the dismissal was wrong. The appeal was upheld.
That decision keeps Struijk available for selection. He joined Brighton from Leeds in a £20m move in the summer. The trip to Sunderland was only his second Premier League start for the club.
Brighton coped without him on the day. Down to ten men for more than half an hour, they still won 2-0. It was the kind of result that steadies a dressing room.
The table looks healthy too. At the time of the report, Brighton sat third in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Manchester City. BBC Sport Momentum is with them before the derby with Palace.
What makes this stand out is how the decision changed in stages. Nothing was given in real time. Then came the check, the jog to the screen, and red. Reversals after that sequence are rare enough to feel significant, even when the team affected still won.
For supporters, the practical part is simple. Struijk keeps his place in the squad conversation. A £20m summer signing needs minutes to settle, and a ban would have broken his run after just two league starts. Instead he can prepare as normal for Palace.
That is good news for Brighton, and no bad will for Sunderland, who move on with the result standing.
