'We are not in a title race' - Pascal Gross dismisses Premier League title talk despite firing Brighton up to second with 2-0 win over 10-man Brentford

Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross has rejected suggestions that his side are Premier League title contenders despite climbing to second with Sunday's 2-0 victory over 10-man Brentford. The experienced German converted a first-half penalty after Diego Gomez's early stunner as the Seagulls capitalised on Manchester City's slip-up. German veteran cools lofty expectations Gross urged caution at the Amex Stadium even though a sixth win in seven league outings lifted his team above Enzo Maresca's City , who lost at Nottingham Forest on Saturday . Returning home after five straight away fixtures across all competitions, the hosts have now recorded clean sheets in each of their last 10 top-flight triumphs. That defensive run includes all seven of their victories during the current campaign. Early stunner precedes red card Paraguayan midfielder Gomez, who scored from the halfway line against Crystal Palace last month , opened the scoring after 15 minutes by arrowing a 25-yard left-footed strike past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. Visiting forward Igor Thiago was then dismissed eight minutes later when referee Michael Oliver upgraded a yellow card after pitchside monitor replays showed the Brazilian's arm catching Chema Andres in the face, before Gross rifled home a 42nd-minute penalty after Keane Lewis-Potter fouled Luka Vuskovic. Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Gross refused to entertain championship talk: "No. We are not in a title race. We have started the season really well. It's the beginning of the season though. You see the Premier League, the margins, you look at the results. We are not getting carried away yet. Every game we have to suffer a lot." Head coach encourages supporter dreams While his veteran playmaker played down the standings, head coach Fabian Hurzeler took a slightly more relaxed view of the growing excitement among the club's fanbase. Speaking to the club's official website, the German tactician said: "They [the fans] should always be excited if they watch our games, and that's our job, to make them excited. "I always say they can dream, they can have high expectations of us, but these are things we can't control." Emphasising that steady progress remains the squad's overriding target, Hurzeler added: "There are moments and phases in the game where the individual players, but also the whole team, can improve, and that's the main focus for us. "It was from the beginning, and it also be the case now, and for the rest of the season." International break pauses impressive momentum Hurzeler's high-flying squad now head into the November international break sitting firmly in the Champions League places after another dominant home display. Conversely, a second league defeat of the season leaves Brentford down in eighth after failing to register a single shot on target across the 90 minutes. The Bees are still awaiting their first-ever Premier League victory away at Brighton and must regroup before domestic action resumes.