Brighton & Hove Albion moved up to second in the Premier League after Diego Gomez’s stunning opener helped inspire a 2-0 victory over 10-man Brentford.

Gomez continued his habit of scoring spectacular goals, following up his halfway-line strike against Crystal Palace with another breathtaking effort inside the opening 15 minutes.

Brentford’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a major blow when Igor Thiago was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after just 23 minutes.

Brighton then compounded the visitors’ misery at the end of a dominant first half as Pascal Gross doubled the Seagulls’ advantage from the penalty spot, and they comfortably held on to extend their record of keeping a clean sheet in every win this season.

The Seagulls leapfrog Manchester City and move within five points of leaders Arsenal, while Keith Andrews’ side slip to eighth.

How the match unfolded

The first opening fell Brighton’s way as Gross cushioned a cross to Maxim De Cuyper, but the Belgian could only direct his header over the crossbar.

Gomez then brought Amex Stadium to its feet once again, unleashing a thunderous left-footed half-volley from distance into the top-left corner, which gave goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher precious little chance of keeping it out.

The Seagulls looked to press home their advantage immediately, and when Sepp van den Berg hesitated at the back, Brighton striker Charalampos Kostoulas pounced on the opportunity, only to see his tame effort comfortably saved.

Brentford’s task was made significantly harder when Igor Thiago was dismissed following a VAR review, with the Brazilian adjudged to have caught Chema Andres in the face with force.

The hosts were then awarded a penalty when Brenftord’s Keane Lewis-Potter brought down Luka Vuskovic following a corner, and Gross emphatically dispatched the spot-kick into the top-right corner 42 minutes in.

Yasin Ayari nearly capped off a dominant first-half display by Brighton, but Kelleher was equal to his powerful effort, and Fabian Hurzeler’s side showed no signs of letting up after the restart.

De Cuyper first saw an acrobatic effort drift narrowly off target before heading wide moments later, before Ayari was presented with a host of opportunities to add a third, but the Swede could not make them count.

Brentford avoided any further punishment, with Kevin Schade’s miskick their best opening after the break as they suffered defeat in their 200th Premier League game. (premierleague.com)