Tomer Hemed has four goals in three games
Tomer Hemed scored twice as Brighton briefly moved to the top of the Championship with victory over Burton.
The Seagulls led when Hemed fired home from Anthony Knockaert's fine cross.
Burton barely threatened and a dominant home side quickly built a 3-0 lead after the break through Sam Baldock's low strike and Hemed's penalty.
Michael Kightly's free-kick gave Burton hope, but Glenn Murray's header ensured a win which took Brighton top until Newcastle beat Wolves in the evening.
Brighton's sixth successive home league win, in front of a sell-out crowd, never looked in doubt from the moment the impressive Knockaert teed up Hemed for the fifth-minute opener.
Baldock doubled the lead and when Hemed converted the spot-kick after the lively Solly March was felled by Brewers captain John Mousinho, the home side were cruising.
The visitors finally sparked into life and, after Kightly and Marvin Sordell both went close, the former's delightful free-kick got them on the scoresheet.
But a comeback never looked likely and a trademark Murray header sealed a win over a Burton side who are just two points above the relegation zone.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton: "We went so close last year. It has certainly been a motivational thing for the players to want to go that one step further.
"We're scoring goals from plenty of sources and we need that to sustain where we are; you have to have the ability to score goals.
"In this game I had my top-scorer on the bench, but you need both (Murray and Hemed) pushing for the positions.
"Glenn's first away goal was after he came off the bench, and Tomer scored for us from the bench in our previous draw at Brentford. "
Burton manager Nigel Clough: "We have five or six players missing so no one would have expected us to get anything.
"I am disappointed with the goals that we conceded but the pleasing thing is that we didn't crumble.
"We pulled it back to 3-1 when Michael Kightly scored from a free-kick, and had we got another then it might have made it interesting.
"But there was a gulf in quality in both penalty areas."
