Brighton vs Crystal Palace ref watch: Three decisions Thomas Bramall got wrong
Thomas Bramall was under the spotlight as Crystal Palace beat Brighton 1-0 in a fiery contest on Sunday.
Palace signed Jorgen Strand Larsen this week, but it was another signing who made the difference.
Evann Guessand, who arrived from Aston Villa last week, broke through and found Ismaila Sarr for the winning goal.
Bramall has been at the centre of several controversies this season, but it was a relatively quiet game for the referee on Sunday.
Oliver Glasner has been under huge pressure this season, but will be hugely relieved to have finally ended a run of 12 games without a win.
Thomas Bramall angers Brighton
Will Hughes faced an early booking on Saturday, after he had caught Georginio Rutter with a reckless challenge in the 17th minute.
But Brighton were furious after the referee blew his whistle, with an advantage very much on.
| Brighton | Match stats | Crystal Palace |
| 64% | Possession | 36% |
| 7 | Shots | 7 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 0.85 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.16 |
| 3 | Corners | 4 |
The ball had immediately rebounded to a Seagulls midfielder, who had looked to drive forward and play a one-two just outside the box.
But Bramall‘s whistle put an end to that attack, for which he held his hands up and acknowledged his mistake.
Adam Wharton buys a free kick
Midway through the first half, Palace had begun to frustrate their hosts by keeping the ball well.
Adam Wharton was key to that, but the midfielder should not have had the help of Bramall for one moment.
The England international had won the ball fair and square, but then dribbled into trouble before going down under the slightest of leg-to-leg contact.
After a delay, Bramall brought his whistle to his lips and blew, much to the bemusement of the Brighton fans.
Jefferson Lerma gets away with two yellow card challenges
Jefferson Lerma appeared to have the benefit of the doubt in Bramall’s eyes all afternoon long.
After the break, he inexplicably avoided a yellow card despite clearly making a challenge that denied a promising attack.
The midfielder had taken a poor touch following a poor corner and dove in, in an attempt to get a touch on the ball.
But Lerma only made contact with the oncoming Brighton attacker, who was wiped out in the face of just two or three retreating Palace defenders.
Bramall instantly blew his whistle, but somehow decided against producing a yellow card.
A minute later, Lerma would commit arguably another yellow card offence when he stamped on the foot of Kaoru Mitoma. Bramall, however, did not even give a foul.