Three red cards were handed in short succession during Brighton’s match with Nottingham Forest, with Morgan Gibbs-White and both managers removed at the Amex Stadium.
The Premier League has confirmed that Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler were sent off for “unacceptable” behaviour during their clubs’ draw on the south coast.
The points were exchanged in a heated match at the Amex Stadium. Forest’s Chris Wood and Ramon Sosa scored, while Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck did the same.
However, the game threatened to boil over in the latter moments. Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White was given a second yellow card for a foul on Joao Pedro, and both managers were later issued red for their reactions.
“The referee issued a second yellow card to Gibbs-White for a reckless challenge on Pedro,” the Premier League Match Centre’s social media feed stated. “Fabian Hürzeler and Nuno Espírito Santo were both sent off for their unacceptable technical area behaviour following the incident.”
Both teams entered the match unblemished, and a win for either would have moved them into the top four. Forest took the lead when Wood converted a penalty, but Brighton led at halftime thanks to a Hinshelwood header and a Welbeck free kick.
After the halftime, Forest manager Nuno made two substitutions, and they combined for an equaliser. Jota Silva raced away from Brighton’s defence and sent the ball over for Sosa to score his first Premier League goal in only his second appearance.
Despite being down to ten men, the visitors had a late chance to win. However, Sosa was unable to locate Callum Hudson-Odoi after breaking through in the last moments.
“I’d have to see the challenge back; I haven’t seen it,” Forest’s Wood told Sky Sports. “It’s one of those things; Morgan made a foolish decision, and we have to move on.
“The management will have to come and remark on that because that’s what they do. Everyone wants to win and compete in the Premier League, and points are difficult to come by.
Brighton coach Andrew Crofts stated that Joao Pedro “took a nasty hit”. The Brazilian was spotted walking painfully late in the game, having barely been on the field for slightly more than ten minutes when he was fouled by Gibbs-White.
“The tackle on Joao looked like it wasn’t a great tackle,” according to Crofts. “We were upset about it. The reaction is to watch what the referee does. I didn’t notice it because I was chatting with another gamer. The next thing I saw were red cards for the managers.”
