Craig Pawson had only just got the Crystal Palace v Brighton derby underway but he was still reaching for his cards after just a few seconds. Palace midfielder Luka MIlojevic was chasing after the ball and went into a challenge with Anthony Knockaert early on.
Milojevic reached the ball first and Knockaert with his studs raised high in the air, made firm contact with the most sensitive part of the Palace’s man groin area, leaving him in great pain. Pawson, perhaps realising the significance of this derby, was reluctant to give the red card so early on, instead brandishing the yellow card.
In fact, it was the quickest booking in the Premier League for a decade, as reported by OptaJoe. They said on Twitter: “Anthony Knockaert's yellow card after 28 seconds was the quickest in a Premier League game since March 2009, when Blackburn's Stephen Warnock was booked after 26 seconds against Hull. Eager.”
Before the game, Brighton striker Glenn Murray was named on the bench, however, an injury in the warm-up to Florin Andone meant Chris Hughton had to reinstate his top scorer to the starting XI. It was a choice which paid off after just 20 minutes as, after a James Tomkins mistake, Murray finished with aplomb on the half-volley to put the visitors in front.
If Brighton can hold on to these three points that will take them away from the relegation zone and put them level on points with their fierce rivals, with less than ten games remaining this season. You can see the savage tackle down below along with Glenn Murray’s opening goal.
