Brighton continue to climb. This latest win lifted the Seagulls into second place, with only Arsenal above them.
It is an extraordinary position for a club that has travelled such a remarkable distance to reach the Premier League summit.
Once homeless, short of money and facing possible extinction at the end of the last century, Brighton are now allowing themselves to imagine a place in the Champions League.
Why stop there? Fabian Hurzeler’s side have already defeated Arsenal and Manchester City without conceding a goal this season.
Their only goals conceded in the past six Premier League matches came in a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool, a game in which Brighton were far from outclassed.
Manchester City’s campaign remains clouded by the outcome of their financial charges, while the rest of the traditional Big Six continue to produce inconsistent results. That could leave the door open for ambitious outsiders when European places are decided in May.
There are still six months to go, but right now it is difficult to name four Premier League teams performing better than Hurzeler’s Brighton.
They look like a complete team. Their attacking football is smooth and inventive, with pace, imagination and several different routes to goal.
Their style is unmistakable, while their defensive organisation has developed enough maturity to withstand the more physical and fractious moments of a match such as this one, particularly after Igor Thiago was sent off for Brentford.
Diego Gomez marked another memorable Amex occasion with a stunning strike, following his halfway-line goal in the 5-0 win against Crystal Palace
The Bees were already behind after Diego Gomez unleashed a spectacular effort with his left foot. Brighton doubled their advantage before the interval when Pascal Gross drove a penalty into the top corner after Keane Lewis-Potter pulled Luka Vuskovic’s shirt.
Gross, the 35-year-old midfield organiser, showed the confidence running through the Brighton side with a forceful penalty into the top corner. His strike effectively settled the contest.
Brentford dropped deep, seemingly intent on limiting the damage while waiting for a counterattack or set-piece opportunity. They may also have hoped the officials would eventually restore numerical balance with a second Brighton dismissal.
That moment never came. Brighton kept possession with authority, finishing the match with more than 75 per cent of the ball and spending the second half patiently working around the edges of the Brentford box.
They finished with 20 attempts, although a third goal never arrived. It hardly mattered. Brighton were able to celebrate a convincing victory in front of their home supporters after five consecutive away fixtures and more than 5,000 miles of travel.
Hurzeler’s substitutions offered another reminder of the quality available to him from the bench.
Kaoru Mitoma, who has not played this season, is expected to return from injury shortly after the international break.
Even European football in the Conference League has failed to disrupt Brighton’s momentum, a reflection of the squad’s depth. Hurzeler believes supporters are entitled to dream.
‘They should always be excited,’ said the Brighton manager. ‘That is our job. They can dream and have high expectations, but those are things we cannot control. We played a good game, although there are always areas where we can improve.’
Brentford lose their heads…
This was Brentford’s second Premier League defeat of the season, and on both occasions they ended the match with a player dismissed.
‘In both situations, the opposition player has been the one to provoke and antagonise our player, then react aggressively towards him,’ said an angry Keith Andrews, recalling Yehor Yarmoliuk’s dismissal against Liverpool when Brentford finished with nine men.
‘We need to handle those situations better, but the game is in a place now that I do not particularly like. We will have to examine it because it is costing us.’
Chema Andres brought Thiago down, then rose to confront him. The Brentford forward attempted to push him away but caught the Brighton midfielder with his forearm beneath the jaw.
Igor Thiago’s initial yellow card was changed to a red after VAR sent Michael Oliver to the monitor
Andres went down again. Oliver’s decision to show both players yellow cards initially appeared reasonable, but VAR official Stuart Attwell advised the referee to review the incident at the pitch-side screen.
After watching the replay in slow motion, Oliver upgraded Thiago’s punishment to a red card. The Brazilian left with a wry smile and a shake of the head, dismissed after reacting to what he felt was provocation.
Thiago will now miss Brentford’s matches against Everton, Manchester United and Arsenal.
The travelling supporters’ view of Oliver worsened when he awarded Brighton a penalty after Lewis-Potter, listed at 5ft 7in, pulled the shirt of 6ft 4in Vuskovic, who went tumbling to the ground.
Vuskovic takes flight…
Vuskovic has quickly become a firm favourite at the Amex, and it is easy to forget that the Croatia international is only 19. He is commanding in the air and displays the reading of the game expected from a far more experienced centre-back.
After 10 games, he is already 10 points better off than Tottenham, the club he left behind.
Another meeting with England may not be high on Vuskovic’s wish list. Croatia face England at Wembley on Thursday, having conceded 11 goals across their two meetings this year.
