Mwepu and Caicedo at Arsenal show the bright future Brighton have

I am probably not alone in having slightly forgotten the excitement and promise of Enock Mwepu after his great start to the season, before injury sidelined him.

And I am probably in more extensive company in having let Moises Caicedo drop off my radar after the buzz around his signing generated by anyone who had seen him play in Ecuador subsided.

Both players shook all of us out of our torpor on Saturday with brilliant contributions at the Emirates as part of a confident team display as Brighton won 2-1 away at Arsenal.

All of us were down following the string of defeats and a draw against Norwich in a game where we dominated but again failed to find the net, and where we saw one of our brightest players injured.

Jakub Moder’s ruptured ACL could side line him until just before he is due to travel to the 2022 Qatar World Cup with Poland.

The more immediate concern for some Brighton fans will have been about the gap in midfield caused by Moder’s absence, particularly if Yves Bissouma departs in the summer transfer window as expected.

Mwepu reminded us and the rest of the Premier League of his world class potential, highlighted on Match of the Day’s post game analysis following the victory over the Gunners.

Leandro Trossard showed the calmness and precision we know he is capable of from his recent outing with the Belgium national side, and his quality strike at the Emirates should not be overshadowed by Mwepu’s Brighton Goal of the Season contender.

It was an all round quality display from the Albion against one of the Big Six sides. Every player stepped up to shine in the way they always seem to when inspired by the bigger and better opposition we face.

Saturday’s trip to Spurs will be a taller order, against a side fully on form who have proven in recent weeks they can beat us and who, ironically, will have been encouraged by our defeat of their rivals for the top four places.

Manchester City of course is a taller order still. Points from either will be a bonus before we return to the likes of Wolves, Leeds and Southampton for the final run-in.

With just over half a dozen games to go, there could well be another six to nine points put on the board. If that is the case, it would make this easily our best season in terms of points in the Premier League.

For all the doom and gloom of recent weeks, we are safe from relegation, a full 13 points above the drop. We are just a point outside the top 10, and had just one of our 30 or more attempts on goal got past Tim Krul at the Amex, we would be above Crystal Palace and hot on the heels of Leicester City.

For all the understandable doubts and fears of the past couple of months, Saturday proved as I have argued before that the fundamentals at the club are sound.

The squad is strong and it does possess players with the ability to score goals – Mwepu proved that at the weekend. There were always going to be bumps and potholes on the road but the road map to the top 10 is there.

Look at the quality we have added in recent signings over this season and last. Tariq Lamptey, Marc Cucurella, Moder and Caicedo to name but four alongside Mwepu. Look at the reservoir of potential in the Under 23s and the players we have out on loan.

We may not even have to worry about signing more goal scorers in the close season. Deniz Undav and Kaoru Mitoma are ready and waiting, contracts signed, on their way from what will be by then a Champions League side in Union Saint-Gilloise.

With seven games to go, the Albion are certain of Premier League football in 2022-23. We are outside the top 10 only on goal difference, have a squad full of promise with new players already acquired, all on a budget dwarfed by those at the disposal of half the sides in the Premier League.

There is still work to do, issues to address and challenges ahead. But be honest, what would you have said last July if offered the Albion’s current position of 11th and not battling the drop?

A fantastic season, great progress and we are on our way to being an established top 10 club.

Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC