Albion have set survival as their goal again in their second season in the Premier League.

Chairman Tony Bloom and manager Chris Hughton have cautioned against inflated expectations after achieving safety first time around with two matches to spare.

The Seagulls can finish anywhere between tenth and 15th, depending on the result of their final game against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Bloom warned: “It’s very easy to get ahead of yourself. Let’s be honest about it, I think anyone outside the top six should be saying that each season the No.1 goal is finishing in the top 17.

“And that will be with us, I believe, forever. Now if one of the other 13 clubs start spending hundreds of millions of pounds they can start saying staying up is a certainty and we’re aiming for the top four, but even though a lot of our competitors spend a lot more than us they are not in that position.

“So that’s the starting point and anything else is a bonus and we are obviously aiming a lot higher than that every season, but that’s the minimum.”

Fellow promoted sides Newcastle and Huddersfield have also stayed up, while experienced Premier League trio Stoke, West Brom and Swansea have been relegated.

Hughton said: “The next step for us will always be making sure we stay in the division – that has to be the aim.

“This is our first season in the league and so we are learning still, we’re trying to improve as much as we can, and we will try to add to the squad in the summer.

“More importantly it’s about stability and what you have to do is be stable in the league before you look to take bigger steps.

“We have to be guarded because established sides can still struggle – I don’t think anyone would have predicted the three sides who have been relegated, and at the same time I don’t think many would have tipped others down the bottom to be in the positions they have been this year.”

Meanwhile, Hughton expects Liverpool to be serious title contenders next season. Jurgen Klopp’s team will finish at least 25 points behind champions Manchester City, who beat Albion 3-1 at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Hughton said: “I don’t think they’re that far behind. I think the only difference is that we’ve embarked on a season where Man City have been that good.

“If Man City are that good next season then I don’t see too much difference because I don’t see too much wrong with what Liverpool have done and Manchester United have done.

“I just think you’ve had one side that have blown everybody away so I don’t think they (Liverpool) need to do that much.

“They’ve brought in Van Dijk, who’s a world-class centre-half. They’ve got great options. They allowed Coutinho to go and generally nobody talks about him so I think that shows how far they’ve come. I think come next season they’ll be very much title contenders.”