How Graham Potter turned Brighton into record breakers and a 'Champions League class' midfield discovery

Albion put in a dominant and classy display which saw Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard and Yves Bissouma chipping in with the goals. Let's take a look at five things we've learnt from Albion's 34th game of the Premier League season. Highest points tally Albion have recorded their highest ever Premier League points tally with three games to go. This is another clear sign of the progress Graham Potter has made since coming in. After six years in the Premier League, it is safe to say Brighton have now established themselves as a top flight club. The sky is the limit in terms of the potential of this squad under this manager. Realistically, Brighton, on their day, could win all of their remaining fixtures which are against Man United, Leeds and West Ham. I would be aiming for five points from those three games, which would put Albion on 49 points and in with a real chance of achieving their long term goal of finishing 10th. A higher finish secures a higher financial prize from the league, attracts summer transfer targets, keeps the current players in good spirits over the summer and sets the squad up for next season. Finishing the season on a high is so important. Goals galore Goals are what Albion have been missing in the past few seasons under Potter. They've often lacked that cutting edge up front to finish off their meticulous build-up play, much to the frustration of everyone at the club. Looking at Brighton's expected goals for the season, they have scored 32 actual goals but were expected to have scored around 44. That's one of the biggest underperformances (-12) in the league. However, the 3-0 win at Molineux was Brighton's biggest win of the season and is a sneak peek at the potential this side has. If they can continue in this vein, add some fire power up front in the transfer windo, and coach the current squad to take their chances more, they will certainly be fighting for those European places next season. Standout performers Potter doesn't like to pick out standout performers after the game, which is understandable, but there were a few this weekend. Marc Cucurella, Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck, Moises Caicedo and Yves Bissouma. For one of the smallest men on the pitch, Cucurella is an industrious fella. He won the joint top amount of tackles, rarely gave the ball away and was just a bag of positive energy. Lewis Dunk was an absolute man mountain at the back, Wolves blew and blew but they weren't getting through this brick house. Read the game so, so well to be in the right place at the right time to block, intercept and clear. Danny Welbeck is such a classy player and oozes top level experience. He takes Brighton onto that next level when he starts. His intelligence, runs down the channels and selfless lone striker play against Wolves allowed those around him to get on the scoresheet. Bissouma is a destroyer and a playmaker. He is so good. It was more of the same against Wolves. Surely there can't be another player like him? Step forward Caicedo. Oh my word, Brighton's recruitment team have smashed it, they've uncovered two absolute diamonds who will go on to play Champions League football. Enjoy watching this pair while you can. Potter vs Lage This was a clash of two fairly similar teams. Both have a philosophy of playing expansive football using a 3-5-2 system. Both managers are young, innovative and forward thinking. Both underperform in the expected goals department or, in other words, they can create attacks but struggle to finish them off. Potter came out on top in this head to head but both clubs are on to a good thing with their future plans. Away support I know there are issues with the noise levels at The Amex, but I only cover away games and all season I have seen terrific travelling support. From Burnley to Palace, oof the Palace game, to Liverpool to Leicester, the Albion away support have been quality all season. If there's a way of getting that away atmosphere inside The Amex, I think Albion could convert some of those tight draws into wins. It's all about fine margins in the Premier League, and a noisy crowd acting as a 12th man might make the difference. Potter said Brighton moved to ninth on 44 points – a record total for the club in the Premier League – with boss Graham Potter very proud of his men. “It’s 44 points which is our record and we have nine to play for. I’m really proud of the players, it’s not easy in the Premier League,” he said. “There are moments where you have to suffer and struggle but we kept together and kept working. Now have to finish off as strong as we can. “The boys were fantastic. We missed a penalty but it was great character to take the next one and score. “We were the dominant team, which isn’t easy to do. We’ve had some good away performances, we won at Spurs and Arsenal recently and drew at Anfield and Chelsea. We’re not a bad team but sometimes the points you get don’t reflect that. It’s nice we got the three.”

How Graham Potter turned Brighton into record breakers and a 'Champions League class' midfield discovery - Five things learned from Wolves