Brighton captain Lewis Dunk will serve a two-match ban following his red card in the 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest.
The centre-back was initially shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor for questioning his decision to award Forest a penalty but immediately brandished a red card after it appeared Dunk used abusive language on the referee.
Sources have indicated Dunk did not call Taylor a cheat, but a straight red card in that situation would only be shown for ‘offensive, insulting or abusive language’, which carries a two-match suspension.
It means he is the first player to be sent off for abusing a referee while on the pitch during a game since Alan Smith for Newcastle United when the Magpies were beaten 6-0 by Manchester United in January 2008.
Dunk, will miss the Premier League game at Chelsea on Sunday, 3 December, and the home match against Brentford three days later.
