"Capable of much more" – Brighton star annoyed, knows there's still a gap

Groß frustrated by Brighton's Carabao Cup exit to Manchester City on penalties, believes they were capable of more despite a strong league start.

Brighton exited the Carabao Cup at Manchester City on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in normal time, losing on penalties. Malick Yalcouyé and Georginio Rutter put Brighton ahead twice, but Mateo Kovacic and Vitor Reis levelled for City. Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk missed penalties as Manchester City progressed to the quarterfinals.

Pascal Groß told Sky Germany he was annoyed by the exit, calling it a huge missed opportunity. "We were capable of much more," he said. "If you look at which teams are still in the competition and who has already been knocked out, reaching the quarterfinals was absolutely within our grasp."

Brighton face Manchester City again in the Premier League on Saturday. Despite their strong start—16 points from eight games—Groß acknowledged a gap remains between Brighton and the elite. "There's still a bit of a gap, for sure. But we're trying to narrow it down," he said, naming Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool as the strongest sides.