Struijk red card after VAR intervention overturned

What the report says

Brighton defender Pascal Struijk has had the straight red card he received at Sunderland overturned after a successful appeal, according to Nile Post. The dismissal came in the 57th minute at the Stadium of Light, when referee Thomas Bramall, following a VAR review led by Neil Davies, ruled that Struijk had fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor while the striker chased a through-ball.

The article says neither Bramall nor his assistant initially called the incident as a foul, but the on-field decision changed after the referee watched replays at the monitor. Struijk was then sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, a call that drew strong reactions from Brighton players. The appeal outcome means he will not serve a one-match suspension and is available for Brighton’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

Nile Post also notes that Struijk, who joined Brighton from Leeds in a reported £20 million summer move, was making only his second league start for the club. Brighton still won the match 2-0 and remained third in the table, five points behind Manchester City. More broadly, the case highlights the ongoing debate around how VAR is used for red-card decisions in the Premier League, especially when the likelihood of a goalscoring chance is open to interpretation.