Pascal Struijk's controversial red card overturned on appeal

Brighton defender Pascal Struijk has had his controversial red card against Sunderland overturned following a successful appeal against wrongful dismissal.

Struijk was sent off in the 57th minute of Saturday's clash at the Stadium of Light after being judged to have fouled Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor as he chased a through ball.

Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant initially awarded a foul, but VAR official Neil Davies intervened and sent the referee to the pitchside monitor to review the incident.

After reviewing the footage, Bramall shown Struijk a straight red card for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The decision baffled the Brighton players, but the dismissal has now been officially rescinded.

Following the successful appeal, Struijk avoids a one-match suspension and will be available for Brighton's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Dutchman joined Brighton from Leeds in a £20m deal during the summer, with the match against Sunderland marking just his second Premier League start for his new club.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, the Seagulls claimed a 2-0 victory to continue their impressive start to the campaign. Brighton currently sit third in the table, five points behind leaders Manchester City.