DUNK DISMISSED AS GULLS FLY
ROBERTO DE ZERBI reckons he doesn’t like 80 per cent of Premier League referees, which presumably makes Anthony Taylor one of the bad guys.
Taylor looked as though he might make it into the Brighton manager’s favoured 20 per cent when he awarded them a penalty that let Joao Pedro make it 3-1 with his second. But then Taylor must have swapped category on the De Zerbi index when in a frenzied 60 seconds he reversed a penalty decision after a VAR check – allowing Morgan Gibbs-white to make it 3-2 from the spot – and also sent off Seagulls skipper Lewis Dunk. The defender argued after Taylor viewed the replay of Jack Hinshelwood’s felling of Forest sub Callum Hudson-odoi in the 73rd minute. Then Dunk was dismissed for a further argument. Gibbs-white kept his cool to set up a tense finish. The Seagulls stayed airborne, but it needed Bart Verbruggen to produce a superb save to deny Ryan Yates in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
Brighton just about deserved their first Premier League victory for two months, with the impressive Pedro’s two goals proving crucial.
Forest had taken a third-minute lead through Anthony Elanga after good work from a racing Gibbs-white.
But Brighton recovered and Pascal Gross delivered an astute pass into Evan Ferguson, which the young Irishman curled into the far corner.
Pedro then showed his finishing power with a storming header beyond Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Brighton made it 3-1 when Chris Wood pulled back Pedro and the Brazillian scored from the spot.
The game erupted with the second penalty call and Dunk’s dismissal, but Brighton held firm. NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Vlachodimos 6; Aina 6, Niakhate 7, Murillo 6, Toffolo 6; Mangala 7, Dominguez 6 (Yates (69) 6), Danilo 5 (Hudson-odoi (62) 6); Elanga 7, Wood 5 (Origi (62) 6), Gibbs-white 7 BRIGHTON: Verbruggen 7; Veltman 6, Van Hecke 6, Dunk 6, Lamptey 5 (Hinshelwood (33) 6); Gilmour 7 (Baleba (77) 6), Gross 8, Lallana 6 (Buonanotte (46) 6); Adingra 6, Ferguson 7 (Moder (77) 6), Fati 5 (Pedro (20) 8) STAR MAN: Pascal Gross – Sublime passing to create two goals, then tenacious as an emergency right-back. REF: Anthony Taylor 7