Pictures and analysis of Sunderland 2 West Brom 4

The Baggies have finally grabbed some national attention and their ability to deal with their increasing fame could now shape the rest of this remarkable season.

The vibes are encouraging. It is difficult to imagine that a more humble, grounded squad has ever occupied a top-three spot so far into a Premier League season.

Yet still boss Steve Clarke will know many of his players moved deeper into uncharted territory with victory at Sunderland.

And how they handle the glare of the spotlight and the mounting expectation of their excited supporters will determine to a huge degree whether they can turn their stunning four months into a truly memorable season.

The latest Baggies performance brought another memorable away win, a couple more notable records, a thoroughly deserved third place and some long-overdue acclaim beyond this region.

Suddenly Clarke's side are being noticed by a nation that largely overlooked the club's steady ascent of the rankings and their construction of a squad of genuine top-flight quality in recent times.

And that belated acclaim will alter the rules for players and coaches who finally, after a fabulous 4-2 win on Wearside took them to 26 points, were forced to acknowledge that a challenge for Europe is now more than simply a flight of fancy.

Clarke spoke for the first time of "re-assessing" Albion's targets if their stellar form continues while Shane Long, the most humble of goalscoring heroes, admitted that "everybody dreams" when pushed on the issue of European football.

As battle cries go they were hardly attention-grabbing, yet they were the first signs that the hopes which are building among supporters have begun to permeate the walls of the Hawthorns dressing room.

It is no wonder, given days like Saturday, when 685 Baggies fans' departure from home at an ungodly hour for a lunchtime fixture in the north east was richly rewarded with a wonderful match and an even better outcome for Albion.

Once more Clarke and his men were asked questions. Once again they provided the answers.

Against a Black Cats side short on confidence and craft but boasting all the familiar wiles of a Martin O'Neill outfit, Clarke's men had patience, creativity and goalscoring potency.

They claimed a triumph that their intelligent, controlled performance more than merited.

The win owed something to luck, with a howler from home goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and a successful but disappointing piece of 'simulation' from Albion's Liam Ridgewell bringing them crucial goals at important moments.

Yet only the most one-eyed home supporter could dispute Clarke's verdict that anything short of victory would have been a travesty. It was hard, too, to argue with his view that his side had, at times, been a "'oy to watch.'

There were spells when they moved the ball with a crispness the Black Cats could only dream of. Having made the running as the teams traded half-chances, they were rewarded on the half-hour.

Zoltan Gera produced a moment of brilliance, bending a powerful left-footed screamer into the top corner of Mignolet's net after Peter Odemwingie's industry had created the opportunity.

And they had the two-goal margin just before half-time when Mignolet spilled Chris Brunt's over-hit flick at the feet of Long, handing the Irishman his seventh and simplest goal of the season.

They continued to play better football but were pegged back with 16 minutes to go when Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner's free-kick struck fellow substitute Marc-Antoine Fortune and looped over helpless goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

But, seven minutes later, Ridgewell burst into the box and tumbled, anticipating contact from Adam Johnson that never came. It was an unseemly act by a steady performer but Romelu Lukaku showed no mercy with an emphatic penalty.

By the time Stephane Sessegnon pulled another goal back for the hosts in a goalmouth scramble there were just three minutes plus stoppage time for the Baggies to negotiate.

They gave their fans more to cheer when Lukaku broke and fed Fortune, who whipped home a fine shot to complete the scoring with the final kick of the match.

It gave the Baggies their best 13-game record since the team of 1953-54, when giants like Ray Barlow and Ronnie Allen took them to second place and FA Cup success at the end of the season.

And it meant four straight wins in the top flight for the first time since 1980, when Statham, Robson and Regis were in their pomp. Suddenly, a nation wants to know if the class of 2012 can make history of their own.

That question will add a delicious ingredient to a tasty few weeks to come.

By Steve Madeley