First half goals from Mark Gower and Adam Barrett set Southend on the path to a fourth win in a row, with a 2-0 defeat of Brighton at Roots Hall.
The Blues moved up a place to fourth in League One, with a healthy buffer of nine points keeping them standing tall in the play-off spots.
Lee Barnard had an early sight of goal with a free header from Charlie Mulgrew's cross, but could only head over the top.
At the other end, Glenn Murray miss-hit the ball from close range with the goal at his mercy and was again off target with a first-time volley drifting wide of the post.
If it was a warning sign for Southend to up the tempo it clearly worked as, after a slow start, the game suddenly came to life in a six minute spell with Gower and Barrett both hitting the back of the net in spectacular style.
Proceedings were kick-started in the 24th minute when Gower was played into space from a fine pass by Simon Francis.
The winger raced down the right wing, cut inside and from just outside the box, he drilled home his ninth goal of the season into the bottom corner.
Only the sharp reflexes of goalkeeper Michel Kuipers saved Brighton from falling further behind, as he twice made vital saves with his legs when Tom Elphick flicked Mulgrew's free kick at his own goal and Lee Barnard tried to score from the rebound.
But the Roots Hall faithful were in full celebration moments later when Barrett had previously ventured forward from defence for the set piece.
The captain collected Peter Clarke's pass 20 yards out and drilled an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net.
By now Southend were totally on top and went into the break looking every bit a side on the verge of extending their unbeaten run to 11 games.
Brighton did come more into the game at the start of the second half, with an urgency in their play resulting in Murray directing a header from a corner narrowly over the top.
In truth though, for all their possession they never looked like scoring and after Gower had strong appeals for a penalty turned down, a mazy run from Nicky Bailey saw him jinx his way around the defence and rifle a low shot that saw Kuipers make a fine save, again with his legs.
Alan McCormack blazed an effort over from the edge of the box after dribbling his own way forward, but with the three points seemingly in the bag, nobody was going to complain.
Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Mulgrew, Black (Grant 73), McCormack, Bailey, Gower, Walker (MacDonald 86), Barnard (Revell 78).
Brighton: Kuipers, Whing, Mayo, Cox, Westlake (Robinson 46), Forster, Thomson, Racon, Butters (Gatting 84), Murray, Elphick.
