Onwards and upwards go Brighton. Another victory to send them soaring into second place in the Premier League table behind only Arsenal.

It is a lofty perch for the Seagulls and more admirable when considering the depths from which they have risen.

Homeless and penniless, on the brink of extinction at the end of the last century they are now daring to dream about the Champions League.

To infinity and beyond and why not? Fabian Hurzeler’s team have beaten Arsenal and Manchester City without conceding this season.

The only goals they have leaked in the last six Premier League games came at Anfield, where they lost to Liverpool but were certainly not outplayed.

The other half of the traditional Big Six are misfiring so badly meanwhile there is a fair chance there will be space for an interloper when the European tickets are handed out in May.

It is still six months away but, at this moment in time, you will be hard pressed to find four teams better than Fabian Hurzeler’s.

Brighton are fluent going forward, creative with different ways to score goals.

They have a defined style of play and are solid at the back with the sporting maturity to survive a test of needle, which this became against Brentford once tempers became frayed after a red card for Igor Thiago midway through the first half.

Brentford were already trailing to a wonderful opener from the left boot of Diego Gomez and went further behind before half time when Pascal Gross converted a penalty awarded for a shirt pull by Keane Lewis-Potter on Luka Vuskovic.

The second goal effectively ended the contest.

The Bees assembled in the deep throughout the second half looking to minimise the damage and search for openings on the break or maybe from a set piece.

Brighton dominated the ball with close to 75 per cent possession and probed away, registering 20 shots without finding the third goal.

Every substitution made by Hurzeler came as a reminder of their strength in depth.

On came Mats Wieffer and Jack Hinshelwood and Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh and Malick Yalcouye.

The Conference League is not proving a distraction.

Thiago's red mist... 

There are times when Brentford’s physical reputation goes before them. And Igor Thiago’s red card was one of those moments. Chema Andres was ruled to have fouled Thiago but fell to the ground only to spring up to confront the Brazilian striker.

Thiago moved to push him away and caught him with a forearm under the jaw. Andres collapsed to the ground for a second time. 

When referee Michael Oliver gave them a yellow card each it seemed like the right call, but VAR Stuart Attwell recommended a pitch-side review.

Oliver studied the replays, and the contact always looks worse in slow motion and upgraded to a red card.

Off went Thiago, smiling wryly and shaking his head, sent off for standing his ground and being goaded into a reaction.

He will miss three games against Everton, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Opinions of Oliver in the away end were not improved when he awarded the penalty when a shirt pull by 5ft 7in Lewis-Potter sent 6ft 4in Luka Vuskovic somersaulting to the turf.