Sussex

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Premier League video assistant referees continue to have a problem with red cards.

In the past two seasons 15 of the 49 VAR errors (30.6%) have related to missed or wrongly given red cards for serious foul play or violent conduct.

Brighton forward Diego Gomez may well be the 16th mistake after a chest-high challenge on Liverpool's Florian Wirtz only resulted in a caution.

It came in first-half injury time of Liverpool's 2-0 victory on Saturday.

After referee Craig Pawson only showed Gomez a yellow card, VAR Darren England reviewed the challenge but ruled that it was not made with excessive force and was not serious foul play so did not upgrade it to a red card.

According to the International Football Association Board (Ifab) - football's lawmakers - 'serious foul play' is a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality.

Gomez made the challenge from a standing position and there did not appear to be full contact on the opponent's chest - but it is hard to see how it did not endanger the safety of an opponent.

Let's look at what happened.

Wirtz got to the ball first and it had gone before Gomez even began to make his challenge. He then raised his foot high into the chest of Wirtz.

There was no obvious reason why Gomez needed to make the tackle in this fashion, with studs leading and a straight leg.

If both players had challenged in a similar way, both with high feet, then a yellow could have been more understandable.

If the Premier League's key match incidents panel do rule this is an error it will be the second time this season Liverpool's opponents should have been reduced to 10 men on a VAR review.

In August, Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi should have been sent off when handling the ball as Hugo Ekitike was about to run through on goal.

England was also the VAR for the hugely controversial red card shown to Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly at Wolves last season.

Referee Michael Oliver had sent off Lewis-Skelly for serious foul play but he had misread the nature of the tackle. England did not intervene to downgrade it to a yellow card.

Coincidentally, Arsenal and Wolves met again this weekend at Emirates Stadium, and there was a check for a red card for a challenge by Hwang Hee-Chan on Lewis-Skelly.

Crucially, although Hwang was sliding into the challenge he was pulling out of it when he crashed into the opponent. Hwang did not lead in with studs or a straight leg, which indicate increased force.

A yellow card was a fair outcome in this incident.

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Brighton have announced the creation of a 'Fan Wall' to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary.

This fan mosaic allows supporters to upload photos to appear alongside club legends and is expected to be in place for the 2026-27 season. Profits made from the sale of space on the wall will go to the club's foundation.

However, the fact that it will replace the 'Heritage Tile Wall' that is on the outer North Concourse ramp walls at Amex Stadium is not universally popular within the Seagulls fanbase.

There is currently a petition on the website Change.org, external, titled 'Urge Brighton and Hove Albion to preserve Heritage Tiles', which has reached over 2,800 signatures as of Monday evening.

The petition - started by Brighton fan Terry Robinson - details reasons for wanting the club to reconsider this decision, including pointing to many of the tiles paying tribute to loved ones who have passed away.

However, in their announcement, external, the club have said many of the existing tiles need replacing after up to 15 years outside the stadium.

The club said: "We know that many of these bricks have sentimental value to fans and whilst it is unlikely that tiles can be 'saved' during removal we are intending to photograph the wall for digital posterity so that the brick in situ can still be viewed online.

"Appreciating that some of the tiles were only purchased relatively recently (after January 2023), we are planning to give these owners the opportunity of a free 'spot' on the 125 Fan Wall."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Paul: The scoreline was better than our performance and had Brighton been clinical in front of goal, the spotlight could have been on Arne Slot again. But again I am confused as to why Slot continues to insist on playing Alexander Isak when Federico Chiesa again did more in his short cameo appearance and unselfishly played the ball for Mohamed Salah at the end instead of going for goal. This insistence could be Slot's downfall as he needs to play his strongest XI.

Ben: Hugo Ekitike showed why he's been by far the best out of the summer signings and why he should always start ahead of Isak. However, despite his two goals, all eyes will be on Salah following recent events and how well he responded by setting up the all important second goal. Let's hope that once he comes back from Afcon that he will play how he did here and how we know he can - not how he has for most of the season.

Robin: One of our best performances of the season. Ekitike looks worth every penny, Florian Wirtz is really starting to pull the strings and we looked less fragile at the back. A little worried about some of the knocks we took but great to get back-to-back wins with clean sheets!

Kenneth: Strong performance all round with crisp goals from Ekitike who bossed it. Great to see Salah back in play and we need him back from his international duties next year. Still looked defensively shaky at times with Brighton missing clear chances.

Brighton fans

Ed: So wasteful! After a disastrous start, we created chances but missed them all. Diego Gomez should have scored both of his but that is the same old Brighton - create lots but take so few. Not playing Danny Welbeck showed just how reliable we are on him as we were so limited down the middle and nobody to cross to. Must do something about it in January given Kostas Tzimas' injury. Left the ground disappointed.

Bez: Fabian Hurzeler is truly a decent and likeable chap, but his starting selections are often our undoing, and this time he thought strikers didn't need to be on the pitch until the 82nd minute. Something feels wrong and needs changing.

Mick: Difficult to understand why we started without a recognised striker. Two sloppy goals and our inability to convert good chances. Charalampos Kostoulas and Welbeck should have been the first substitutions and two of our players are now suspended- not a good start to a busy few weeks.

James: Joint worst performance of the season alongside playing West Ham. There is zero ambition and urgency in this squad. We looked fresh out of ideas and I have no clue why we're trying to float crosses in to a striker with no aerial threat, nor why we brought on James Milner in the 85th minute when we're chasing the game. We do not have an identity and currently I do not believe Hurzeler is the right man for the job. The mentality must change.

Tottenham are prepared to wait until next summer to sign Brighton's 25-year-old Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Brighton's Jack Hinshelwood says the Seagulls must make sure they "start bright" when they host Sunderland next weekend after conceding an opener to Liverpool within the first minute on Saturday.

Hugo Ekitike scored the first of his double after just 46 seconds in Albion's 2-0 defeat at Anfield before heading home from a corner after the break.

"There's a big disappointment because we had such big belief this week we could come here and get something from the game and I think it took until the second goal to go in to kick us into life," Hinshelwood said.

"That is a disappointment - myself included.

"The way we started the game didn't help. We sense it is a chance missed. We have to really work hard this week to put it right and make sure we are at it for the full 90 minutes next weekend."

Pushed on what was behind the slow start, Hinselwood added: "Maybe it was the first goal. We don't really know.

"We need to find answers this week as to why we are not at it straight away because after the second goal, all of a sudden we come to life. Whether it is a belief thing, a confidence thing, we don't know. It can't be that because we came into the game with such great belief we could get something.

"We have to find ways this week or making sure we start bright and I'm sure next Saturday we will put in a performance and be better."

Hear more from Hinshelwood on BBC Sounds

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-0 Everton

• Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

• Burnley 2-3 Fulham