Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich – this is the sort of esteemed company Saints are keeping right now.

The 8-0 destruction of Sunderland has helped establish Ronald Koeman’s side as one of Europe’s top performers so far this season.

Saints now boast one of the fiercest attacks on the continent, and also one of the meanest defences.

Saturday’s record-setting victory means Koeman’s men are averaging 2.38 goals per game now.

In the Premier League, only leaders Chelsea, at 2.88, can better that total.

Across Europe’s top five divisions, just Real Madrid (3.75), Barcelona (2.75), Bayern Munich (2.63) and Marseille (2.50) are also ahead of Saints.

It is a similar story at the other end of the pitch.

Saints currently possess the top defence in the Premier League, averaging just 0.63 goals against them in each match.

Every other side in the division is conceding at least one per game.

Barcelona, who are yet to ship a goal in La Liga, represent Europe’s most miserly defence, while Bayern Munich (0.25), Borussia Monchengladbach (0.50), Juventus (0.43), Roma (0.57) and Sampdoria (0.57) are the only others who currently have better records than Saints.

It is not just as a team where Koeman’s side are one of the leading lights in Europe – there are also some notable individual efforts.

Dusan Tadic is foremost among those, with his four assists against Sunderland taking his league total for the season to seven.

In Europe’s top five divisions, only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas can match that.

Here, the Daily Echo looks at Tadic’s assists in 2014/15.

Assist 1: Liverpool (a) Tadic embarrasses former Saints defender Dejan Lovren with a back-heel in front of the Kop, sending Nathaniel Clyne through on goal to equalise at Anfield, ahead of a 2-1 loss.

Assist 2: Newcastle (h) After being played in by Graziano Pelle down the inside-left, Tadic squares a pass back to the striker to double Saints’ lead on the way to a 4-0 win.

Assist 3: QPR (h) Tadic nods a Shane Long cross into the feet of Pelle, who flicks the ball up and sends an acrobatic volley looping over Rob Green to give Saints a 2-1 lead.

Assist 4: Sunderland (h) Tadic receives the ball on the left side of the area, before sending a deft chip towards the back post that picks out an unmarked Jack Cork to make it 3-0.

Assist 5: Sunderland (h) The midfielder slides a pass into the feet of Pelle, who hits a first-time shot across goal, sending the ball into the far corner for 5-0.

Assist 6: Sunderland (h) Moments after scoring his team’s sixth goal, Tadic plays a short square pass just inside the area to Victor Wanyama, who lashes home a seventh.

Assist 7: Sunderland (h) Tadic races onto Ryan Bertrand’s pass down the left and cuts the ball back for Sadio Mane to roll in an eighth goal.