Graham Ruthven: If Liverpool keep playing like this, there won’t be a title race in the Premier League this season

THE contrast between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was stark. While Ange Postecoglou’s team played the brand of unserious football that has made Spurs extremely volatile this season, the visitors to North London looked every bit the title challengers their position at the top of the Premier League makes them out to be.

If Liverpool keep up this pace for the rest of the season, they’ll be more than just title challengers, they’ll be champions. Runaway champions, even. Sunday’s performance was another indication of just how far ahead of the rest Arne Slot’s team are with Liverpool four points ahead of second place. They have a game in-hand for good measure too.

There isn’t an area of Liverpool’s team that isn’t currently operating at its peak. Defensively, they boast the joint-best record in the division having conceded just 16 goals. Three of those goals came against Tottenham in a match that was always titled towards the Premier League table-toppers. They were always in control.

In attack, Mohamed Salah is arguably in the form of his life, becoming the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas. The Egyptian will be out of contract next summer and is giving Liverpool no choice but to hand him a new deal. Salah is simply too good to let leave, especially as a free agent.

leading the way 🇪🇬👑 pic.twitter.com/Zfcsed7JBC

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 23, 2024

Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have both become more consistent since Slot’s arrival with the former even playing as a centre forward this season. Spurs felt the full force of Liverpool’s attack with the Reds boasting genuine variety in the final third of the pitch. The Merseyside outfit have so many ways to hurt opponents.

On Sunday, Dominik Szoboszlai was another player who was pushed forward into the attack. In fact, the Hungarian was so advanced that he played as a ‘False Nine’ at times, giving Tottenham the problem of marking him in between the lines. Szoboszlai forward runs and ability in the air gave Liverpool a different dimension. Tottenham couldn’t handle him.

Liverpool’s midfield has possibly been the biggest success story of Slot’s tenure to date. Many believed the Reds needed a new number six to make the Dutchman’s system work with Martin Zubimendi targeted in the summer. Since then, though, Slot has repurposed his midfield to become a driving force.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in particular have shone under Slot with the pair giving Liverpool a platform in the centre of the pitch. Signed as more of an attacking midfielder, Mac Allister’s passing range has been fully utilised in a deeper role with Gravenberch the perfect two-way operator for the Reds’ dynamic approach. Curtis Jones is also thriving.

“It means something,” Slot said when asked about the significance of Liverpool being top at Christmas. “You know as well as I know how hard it is to stay at the top. You have to be on top of your game for every minute. It is not easy to show up every three or four days. I didn’t expect Chelsea to drop points today. It can happen in any game and that’s what makes the league so special.”

It’s too early to write off Arsenal and Chelsea as rivals that could feasibly catch Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. However, the Reds look so strong, they could build an unassailable lead over the Christmas period, if they don’t already have one. Upcoming games against Leicester City, West Ham and Manchester United are all winnable and Liverpool are making winning look easy at the moment.

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