Chelsea secured a hard fought 3-2 victory against Brighton, after challenges that included a red card and VAR interventions. Mauricio Pochettino’s men faced ordeal early in the game when Conor Gallagher received his second yellow card in the first half, leaving them with ten men. However. VAR played a crucial role to Chelsea’s victory, with the on-field referee awarding Chelsea a penalty, after a tackle on Mykhailo Mudryk, by James Milner. The Blues £106 million signing Enzo Fernandez, capitalized on the penalty, to seal Chelsea’s lead. 
Chelsea played with ten men after Conor Gallagher’s red card – Getty image Fernandez had earlier in the game, scored his first ever Premier League goal for the club. Levi Colwill added a second goal for Chelsea, putting them 2-0 ahead before Brighton fought back. Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte scored an impressive goal, and Joao Pedro’s header in added time, added tension to the home team who struggled to hold on until the final whistle. Meanwhile, VAR again played a role when Brighton claimed a handball inside Chelsea’s area, but the decision was overturned after review. The victory marked Chelsea’s first home league win over Brighton since 2019 and only their second Premier League home win this season.
Vinicius having a faceoff with Valencia fans who racially abused him. Source: Getty However, on Tuesday, May 23, the Spanish football federation’s Competition Committee said they’ve accepted Real Madrid’s complaint and rescinded Vinicius’ red card for hitting Valencia’s Hugo Duro after reviewing the video footage. In the footage the referee was shown before making the red card decision, a clip of Duro grabbing Real Madrid player around the neck with his arm was omitted. Xavi who initially offered his support to Vinicius over the racial abuse he suffered, said last night that the red card decision should have stood after the altercation with Hugo Duro. He said; “I don’t know if overturning Vinicius Junior’s red card is fair. My thoughts are that racism should be condemned. 
Barcelona Coach, Xavi Hernandez at a match in Camp Nou. Source: Getty “It’s a different thing what the players do on the pitch. There was aggression there so I am surprised that they rescinded the red card.” Xavi had previously said the game should have been stopped after the abuse. He who spoke at a press conference days ago said; “Yes, matches should be stopped. It is the only profession in which insults are accepted. I don’t see any baker or teacher being insulted at work. All this has to be stopped. Try insulting a building worker. I’m sure a brick will fall on your head. “It doesn’t matter what shirt you wear. Vinicius is a person before he is a footballer. We have to defend the football professional. I don’t understand as a person, as a citizen, that you have to put up with insults. 
Barcelona Coach, Xavi Hernandez. Source: Getty “We have to get together and get tough. It’s an educational issue. You don’t have to go to a football stadium to insult. If I go to the theatre and I don’t like the play, I leave, but I don’t insult. “We have to condemn that and educate people. We are in an environment where we are insulted and called names. It is very difficult not to bounce back. We don’t have an educated environment in the world of football.” 
Vinicius having a faceoff with Valencia fans who racially abused him. Source: Getty The initial footage omitted Duro grabbing Vinicius around the neck with his arm moment before the 22-year-old Brazilian slapped him. Duro who is a Spaniard received no punishment as the on-field referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea was not shown the events which led to the Brazil international’s reaction. Vinicius was set to receive a ban that would see him miss the rest of the season but he will now be available for selection again after the decision was overturned. The VAR official on the day of the incident, Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva, has also been stood down for the time being. The RFEF has also launched a campaign under the slogan ‘Racists, out of football’, which aims to eradicate racist and xenophobic attitudes from football by raising awareness among fans that discriminatory insults or attitudes will not be tolerated. 
As Madrid prepared to take the set piece, Vinicius began pointing animatedly at a fan in the crowd behind the goal. It was obvious that something had been said. After long discussions with teammates and referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, who asked if Vinicius wanted play to be suspended, the game continued, with the crowd being warned over the stadium megaphone about racist abuse. Later, in time added on, a mass brawl in the Valencia box ended with Vinicius being sent off following a red card for slapping Valencia’s Hugo Duro. There was then a further confrontation with the Valencia bench on Vinicius’ way off the pitch. 
