Brighton beat Brentford to climb to second in Premier League

Brighton beat Brentford 2-0 at the Amex Stadium to move into second place in the Premier League, with Diego Gomez scoring a long-range opener and Pascal Gross adding a penalty before halftime. Brentford striker Igor Thiago was sent off after a video assistant referee review in the first half, leaving the visitors with 10 players for most of the match.

Gomez put Brighton ahead in the 15th minute, taking a couple of touches after Brentford partially cleared a cross before driving a left-footed shot from more than 25 yards into the top corner. It was his second spectacular goal in successive home appearances, following a strike from halfway against Crystal Palace.

Eight minutes later, referee Michael Oliver initially booked Thiago and Brighton midfielder Chema Andres after an exchange that included Andres pushing the striker. Oliver reviewed the incident at the pitchside monitor and upgraded Thiago’s booking to a red card, judging that he had caught Andres in the face with force.

The dismissal remained a point of debate. One match account described the decision as correct under the rules while questioning whether the contact merited a red card and a three-match ban. The other...