Are ‘outstanding’ Brighton now Arsenal’s main title challengers?

Brighton moved into second place in the Premier League after beating Brentford 2-0, extending their run to six wins in seven matches. They are now five points behind leaders Arsenal and have emerged as the closest challengers, though midfielder Pascal Gross cautioned against talk of a title race this early in the season.

Brighton have won seven of their first 10 league games, including victories over Arsenal and Manchester City. They have scored a league-high 26 goals and created 37 big chances, while keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just five goals; Gross leads the division with eight big chances created. Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman sees Champions League qualification as a minimum target, while describing a league title as unexpected.