Brighton and Nottingham Forest preserved their unbeaten starts to the Premier League season in an enthralling 2-2 draw that featured THREE red cards.
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The pair, along with Manchester City and Arsenal before their meeting later on Sunday, remain as the only sides undefeated in the competition this season after an end-to-end affair at the Amex Stadium.
Chris Wood edged the visitors ahead with a 12th-minute penalty, only for Jack Hinshelwood to level with a fine header before Danny Welbeck scored with a sumptuous free-kick on the stroke of half-time.
Ramon Sosa snatched a 70th-minute equaliser, however, before three red cards in the space of a minute.
Referee Robert Jones issued a second yellow card to Gibbs-White for a reckless challenge on Brighton substitute Joao Pedro. Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler and Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo were then both sent off for unacceptable technical-area behaviour following the incident.
The chaotic draw leaves Hurzeler's Seagulls in seventh, one place ahead of Forest after the pair both made it five matches unbeaten.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Man City
MCI
|
16 | +5 | 27 |
| 6 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
16 | +3 | 25 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
16 | -1 | 25 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
16 | +2 | 24 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
16 | +1 | 24 |
How the match unfolded
A clumsy challenge from Carlos Baleba on Callum Hudson-Odoi handed Forest an early penalty, which Wood converted with ease as Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen went the wrong way.
Forest managed to nullify Brighton, until Jan Paul van Hecke's delightful right-wing cross found Hinshelwood, who expertly redirected into the top-right corner in the 42nd minute.
The turnaround was complete just three minutes later when Ola Aina needlessly felled the marauding Kaoru Mitoma, allowing Welbeck to whip a deadly free-kick into the bottom-right corner.
Welbeck passed up a brilliant opening to extend Brighton's lead as Matz Sels made a reflex save early in the second half, and that stop proved pivotal when Gibbs-White slotted through for Jota Silva, who offloaded for Sosa to tap into an empty net.
Gibbs-White's brilliance was overshadowed by a reckless lunge on Joao Pedro late on, with the Forest midfielder picking up his second yellow card before tensions boiled over on the touchline as both coaches were also sent off.
Stylish Seagulls go unrewarded
It will be scant consolation after throwing away the lead, but Brighton have now managed to go five matches unbeaten to start a top-flight season for the first time in their history.
The Seagulls have done so while further evolving their possession-focused style under Hurzeler, though his side showed they are by no means limited to one way of playing on Sunday.
Simon Adingra flashed wide in the opening stages after a neat exchange with Georginio Rutter, who also skewed off target following another free-flowing move.
However, with the Forest defence showing resilience, it was an unfamiliar method that proved fruitful when Van Hecke found acres of space to float a cross in for a late charge from scorer Hinshelwood.
Directness was key again for the hosts' second goal, Mitoma bursting inside with his dazzling feet before Aina's late lunge paved the way for Welbeck's 70th Premier League goal.
Lewis Dunk's late cross almost caught Sels out, though Hurzeler's side could not find a late winner after being pegged back by Sosa, with more killer instinct needed when they travel to Chelsea next.
Nuno's tweaks pay dividends
An impressive 1-0 victory away to Liverpool last weekend was Forest's fourth straight match when only scoring once in the league, and they managed their customary goal again here when Hudson-Odoi drew a foul from Baleba for Wood's well-taken penalty.
Gibbs-White shot straight at Verbruggen as the away side failed to make the most of their counter-attacking chances, and those missed opportunities seemed set to haunt Forest when Brighton's quickfire double put them behind.
Yet Nuno acted swiftly, sending on three half-time substitutes and moving Aina from right-back to the left-hand side, either to protect that flank or get the defender away from the energetic Mitoma.
Silva was one of those to come on at the break, repaying Nuno's faith when racing onto Gibbs-White's through-ball before sliding across a tap-in for Sosa, who also was introduced in the second half.
Though Nuno will be suspended when Fulham visit the City Ground next week, the Portuguese boss is proving Forest have the flexibility – and quality – to continue their strong start.
Club reports
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Brighton extended their unbeaten run to five matches to begin the 2024/25 Premier League season, the furthest they’ve ever gone into a campaign in the competition without losing (W2 D3).
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten across their last five Premier League away games (W4 D1), their longest such run in the competition since a streak of 12 undefeated matches on the road between February and October 1995.
Welbeck struck his 70th Premier League goal, but his first ever in the competition to come as a direct free-kick. Overall, it’s only the fourth direct free-kick goal that Brighton have struck in the competition with each coming from a different player (Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross, Alexis Mac Allister and Danny Welbeck).
Wood scored Forest's earliest penalty goal in a Premier League match (13th min) since December 1994 v Middlesbrough (Stuart Pearce, 8th min). Three of Forest’s last four goals that have come from the penalty spot in the English top-flight have now come against Brighton.