Brighton and Hove Albion climbed above Man City into second place in the Premier League on Sunday, defeating 10-man Brentford 2-0 at the Amex Stadium to enter the November international break in commanding form.

Goals from Diego Gomez and Pascal Gross — both arriving before half-time — did the damage, while a straight red card for Brentford striker Igor Thiago as early as the 23rd minute extinguished any hope of a comeback from the visitors.

Gomez thunderbolt lights up the Amex

Brighton broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with one of the strikes of the season. Gomez pounced on a sloppy defensive header and unleashed a ferocious effort that flew into the top-left corner, leaving Caoimhin Kelleher with absolutely no chance.

Eight minutes later, the contest shifted dramatically. Referee Michael Oliver consulted the VAR monitor and upgraded his initial yellow card for Thiago to a straight red, after the Brazilian striker caught Chema in the face with his arm and split his lip.

Gross converts from the spot

With a one-man advantage, Brighton pressed hard for a second goal before the break. It arrived when Keane Lewis-Potter pulled Luka Vuskovic to the ground as a corner was swung in from the right, earning the hosts a penalty.

Gross stepped up and dispatched a thumping effort into the top corner — a postage-stamp finish that Kelleher could only watch nestle into the net.

Comfortable finish for Fabian Hurzeler's side

The second half was largely one-way traffic. Brighton dominated possession — hovering near 80 percent throughout — and fashioned several openings, though the clinical edge that had defined the first half was absent.

Brentford, whose 200th Premier League match ended in defeat, offered little going forward and were never close to threatening a way back into the game.

The result leaves Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton five points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, but firmly embedded as one of the division's most convincing outfits heading into the international break.