Thomas Bramall found himself in the spotlight as Crystal Palace edged past Brighton with a 1-0 win in a heated M23 derby on Sunday.
Palace had just completed the signing of Jorgen Strand Larsen, but it was another recent arrival who proved decisive. Evann Guessand, signed from Aston Villa last week, burst forward and teed up Ismaila Sarr for the only goal of the game.
Bramall has been involved in a number of contentious moments this season, yet for large spells this fixture passed without major drama for the referee. For Oliver Glasner, the victory brought huge relief as Palace finally ended a 12 match winless run.
Brighton were left frustrated by several decisions, starting early on. Will Hughes was shown a yellow card in the 17th minute after a rash challenge on Georginio Rutter. However, the home side were angered by the whistle that followed, as they appeared to have a clear advantage. The ball had broken straight to a Brighton midfielder who looked set to combine with a teammate near the edge of the area, only for play to be halted. Bramall quickly acknowledged the error, holding his hands up to admit the mistake.
Palace then benefitted from another debatable call midway through the first half as they began to take control of possession. Adam Wharton, influential in midfield, won the ball cleanly before dribbling into pressure. He went to ground after minimal contact between legs, and after a brief pause Bramall awarded a free kick. The decision was met with disbelief from the Amex crowd.
Jefferson Lerma also seemed to escape punishment on more than one occasion. Shortly after the interval, he avoided a booking despite making a challenge that clearly stopped a promising Brighton move. Following a loose touch from a corner, Lerma lunged in and missed the ball entirely, clattering into the onrushing attacker with only a couple of Palace defenders behind him. Bramall stopped play but chose not to show a yellow card.
Moments later, Lerma was again fortunate when he appeared to stamp on Kaoru Mitoma’s foot. This time, Bramall did not even award a foul, adding further fuel to Brighton’s frustration as Palace held on for a hard fought victory.