Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “It was nervy because they showed an awful lot of fight which you would expect on the last day.
“They batted well up until lunchtime and Zafar (Gohar) bowled outstandingly – he used the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump brilliantly, varied his pace and angles and kept them in the game.
“We had to play exceptionally well and that’s where someone like (Cheteshwar) Pujara showed his class and value.
“He still works hard every day to keep improving and that sets a great example to the other players. In that situation, he was very calm and got us over the line.
“We weren’t at our best at various times of the game but we now expect to win games. We have got a good balance in our team. We bat all the way down and we feel confident.
“It’s nice to be top but it doesn’t mean anything. We want to be top at the end of the season.”
Gloucestershire head coach Mark Alleyne said: “We lost the game despite playing some really good stuff. We got punished for a sloppy 15 overs in the first part of our second innings.
“It was probably the only part of the game we got wrong but it’s ended up costing us the game.
“The fight today was excellent but it exaggerated how bad that hour was for us on the third day. Miles Hammond and Zafar Gohar both had really good games.
“We bowled well as a unit. Maybe we could be a bit more threatening by bowling a fuller length and asking the batters more questions.
“I was pleased with the variety of our attack and Zafar gave us a specialist option. His analysis in the second innings speaks for itself but there was more to it than that.
“His dedication to his task and his application was exemplary and all at very important times.
“He gave us the chance to win the game in the second innings by causing havoc with their left-handers at the top of the order.”
