The People's Forum: VAR is the real issue here. There was a professional ref who saw that pull and the red and decided

this was the right outcome. Even though those two events were strictly not related in reality they were. That red card happened because two professional referees decided that shirt pulling is not punishable and let the game go on.

Yet Holgate got a yellow card for the exact same thing.

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I’m not saying he had a perfect game at all but I didn’t think it was the catalogue of errors many have suggested.

Yes, I thought it should’ve been a pen, but - in real time - it happens in seconds and I can forgive the ref for missing it/thinking it was six of one…

VAR has to decide whether there’s something to look at, however (that’s literally the point of VAR in that situation), and so it’s whoever was on the monitors that I think should take the rap, today. Should’ve been a pen and the red card gets negated. It was a clear turning point and, imo, the wrong decision. But, again, I put that on the VAR who has the time and multiple angles to properly look at it.

Outside of that tho, PERHAPS their centre back could’ve been sent off for the pen on Richarlison (altho I thought it was actually a soft pen anyway). Otherwise, I don’t think there was too much too controversial tbh. The big ones went against us but one is 50/50 (and a fairly soft pen was given, so it’s not like he was trying to screw us) and the other’s on the VAR.

If this was Reddit I’d be getting ready to be downvoted into hell

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Just in. Gutted.

That said, it was a good performance with 10men for the majority of the game against a side with all the tools to exploit that. We did well to get to 2-1. Any other season we'd be taking that on the chin, but this season it's a disaster because of how little margin for error we have, which is largely on the performances under Benitez, with a special mention for our transfer market profligacy of recent seasons. By the time Lampard came in we had zero margin for error, so the fact we now get a second (albeit more difficult) bite at the cherry is credit to the turnaround he and his team have achieved in recent weeks. We must stick with him regardless of how this season ends.

Loads giving the ref grief for the Branthwaite red around me, but it was a clear DOGSO and I don't think the ref had much choice. I didn't spot the Richarlison pull at the time from my spec in the Gwladys, don't think many (any?) around me had either at the time. To be fair, apart from giving a corner when it should have been a goal kick just before Brentford's first, I don't think the ref got too much wrong today.

We're seeing now which players do have character. There are some surprises. Iwobi has been immense lately, and today playing 3 different positions including right back he gave everything. Some superb defensive work in there. He looks a different player to the one who looked list for so long, and I hope it's a case of finding a manager who can unlock his talent. Long may it continue.

One thing we've missed out on from not getting safe today is the chance to see which players turned it in again on Thursday, and which ones reverted to type. Would have been instructive for fans and the coaching team.

Really dreading Thursday, but it's in our hands. I said before kick off that if we fail to take at least 2 points from our last three fixtures then we deserve to go down, and I stand by that.