Andrews questions VAR after Thiago red at Brighton

Brentford boss Keith Andrews questioned the use of VAR in the Premier League after Igor Thiago’s first-half dismissal proved costly in a 2-0 defeat at Brighton. Thiago was initially shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver after reacting to a shirt pull and push from Brighton midfielder Chema Andres, who was also booked. The punishment was upgraded to a red card on review as Oliver deemed the player used “force” to push his opponent in the face with a raised arm.

Andrews accepted his players must take responsibility but questioned the circumstances, noting both of Brentford’s league defeats this season have come after first-half red cards. “On both scenarios, the opposition player has been the one to provoke the situation and antagonise our player and react towards our player in an aggressive way,” Andrews said. “We should do better, but the game is in a state now of a place I don’t particularly like. We’ll have to have a look at that because it’s costing us.”

Brentford were already trailing at the time of the sending-off following a long-range strike from Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez. Pascal Gross then doubled the lead with a 42nd-minute penalty awarded for Keane Lewis-Potter’s shirt pull on Luka Vuskovic.

Andrews was frustrated that Oliver was sent to the pitch-side monitor before changing his initial decision on Thiago. “I’m struggling to believe in this day and age where we see the referee’s call on pitch and the bar of where they’re given the licence to referee in-game, which is what I should think it should be, but he’s been sent to the screen,” he said. “We play on the edge, we’re a team that likes to play on the edge, I want us to be on the edge. But it clearly cost us.”