A string of injuries resulted in Brighton finishing the match a man light, and Sheffield Wednesday subsequently took charge of the tie.
Sheffield Wednesday seized the advantage in its Championship playoff semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion, winning the first leg 2-0 at Hillsborough as the visitors finished with 10 men.
Brighton was denied automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season with a 1-1 draw away at Middlesbrough, and its hopes of going up via the playoffs suffered an immediate blow amid a string of injuries on Friday.
Fernando Forestieri thought he had put Wednesday ahead midway through the first half when he fired beyond visiting goalkeeper David Stockdale, but referee Andre Marriner eventually pulled play back for an offside decision which proved to be correct.