NOBODY should have been surprised by Brighton’s comprehensive 3-1 win over Manchester United. The Seagulls had won their three previous league meetings against the Old Trafford outfit with the streak extended to four straight wins in dominant fashion. The final scoreline reflected Brighton’s superiority.

The Premier League table also reflects the strength of Roberto De Zerbi. Indeed, Brighton currently sit in fifth place, just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Arsenal and three points behind Manchester City who have won every match they have played so far. They belong in this company.

Brighton are genuine contenders to finish in the top four this season. With the Champions League group stage kicking off this week, it’s not impossible that the Seagulls could be involved in European club football’s most prestigious competition next season. They wouldn’t look out of place at the elite level.

Of course, Brighton are already in this season’s Europa League and will start their first-ever continental campaign with a home match against AEK Athens this week. This could present the south coast club with another route into the Champions League – only Liverpool are priced lower than Brighton to win this season’s Europa League title.

Saturday’s win over Manchester United highlighted how Brighton’s success has been built on solid foundations. Much of the good work was done by Graham Potter who put in place the structure that sustains the Seagulls to this day, but De Zerbi has added more attacking verve to Brighton’s play.

More variety, too. Against United, Brighton were comfortable playing passes in tight areas, but also at playing direct into Kaoru Mitoma on the wing where he had the space to isolate an opposition defender. They slowed the game down at times, but quickened it up in other moments. This variance prevented Manchester United from every getting a grip on the match.

De Zerbi is well aware of Brighton’s place in the wider footballing hierarchy. The club lost their two best players – Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister – to richer rivals over the summer. Nobody expects Brighton to ever mount a Premier League title challenge. There is a ceiling on what the Seagulls can realistically achieve.

This season, however, might make clear just how high that ceiling is. Brighton might not be able to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City, but could they take advantage of chaos at Chelsea and Manchester United to push even higher than last season’s sixth place finish? How far up the Premier League table can they climb?

“Football is nice because the small team can win in every moment,” De Zerbi said after Brighton’s 3-1 win over Manchester United – their fourth victory in just five Premier League fixtures this season. “But while I think Brighton is not becoming a big, big team, [winning at Old Trafford] is not a surprise – the quality of the Brighton players is very high.”

Brighton’s recent success is underpinned by the best recruitment department in the Premier League. The south coast club might not spend a lot – their starting lineup against Manchester United cost just £16m – but their scouts know how to find value in an otherwise inflated transfer market.

At some point, Brighton will surely regress. There’s only so many times they can lose their best players – or their manager – while still moving forward. De Zerbi will be strongly linked with the a Big Six job whenever one next comes up. For now, though, Brighton can target even more. If they can embarrass Manchester United in front of their own fans, they can hold their own in the Champions League.