After that equaliser by Everton and the wobble at home to Wolves, Liverpool knew that victory against Aston Villa would take their advantage over Arsenal into double digits. They came close. A point was the least they deserved from an entertaining 2-2 draw.
That was how Arne Slot saw it afterwards, two points dropped as four goals were shared for the second Wednesday in a row. But this was different to Everton, different even to the weekend win over Wolves. “I liked the performance much, much more,” said Slot.
“Performance wise it was not a dip at all, in my opinion. What we must not do, and what we do a bit too often, is that we don’t get what we deserve. We must not make a habit out of that because it has happened a little bit too much. But we are eight points clear.”
That was the important detail to take from Wednesday night. More than Mohamed Salah scoring and assisting yet again so that he is now on his own at the top of both charts. More too than Darwin Nunez contriving to miss what Slot himself called an open goal.
Liverpool just keep picking up points.
There is no shame in not claiming all three at Villa Park – and not just because of the congested fixture list. Manchester City lost here last season and drew the year before that, but still went on to lift the title. Liverpool shipped seven here as champions.
Arsenal missed the chance to go top with six to play when beaten by Villa last April and that was on home soil. Villa are a different proposition in front of their own supporters, now unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games.
Are Liverpool better away?
But Liverpool themselves are unbeaten anywhere in the Premier League since September. It is their away record that separates them from the rest. They boast the only unbeaten record in the competition. Every other team has lost at least twice.
The Anfield atmosphere is among the best in English football, but that comes with a caveat when many of those figures stood on the Kop have not experienced a title win close-up in their lifetime. The run-in five years ago was played out in an empty ground.
“You cannot compare circumstances,” said Slot of that previous Liverpool title triumph earlier in the week. “The ones who won the league in corona time, without our fans in the stadium, they were 25 points ahead. So you can hardly talk about pressure then.”
Liverpool supporters ache to experience this one in a different way but that brings with it expectation. Andy Robertson felt compelled to urge the team’s supporters to calm down in the win over Wolves, later glaring at the Kop when he heard their groans again.
“If you do not have the mentality to win difficult games then you will never achieve something.” That was Slot’s main takeaway from that game. But if Anfield is to be on edge between now and May, perhaps it will be away from home that the title is won.
That away record will be tested on Sunday. By the opposition, of course. But also by this demanding fixture list.
Sunday 23rd February 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
Could fatigue cost Liverpool?
Liverpool are in the midst of five games in a fortnight and the fatigue factor means five points from the first three represents a respectable haul. The sequence culminates in a home game against Newcastle before a weekend off that cannot come soon enough.
Only Tottenham, Bournemouth and Newcastle have made more high-intensity sprints than Liverpool this season and all three have suffered their injury problems. Slot knows this is a balancing act. There are consequences to pushing his players too much.
Salah has started every Premier League game so far this season, a situation that becomes more challenging as the games keep coming. It is no coincidence that Slot has seen his side lose as many times in the six games Salah has not started as in the 35 he has.
The Egyptian is managing his output well but for those in the engine room that is more difficult. Can Ryan Gravenberch really keep going like this? Alexis Mac Allister looked spent long before he was subbed at Villa. Conor Bradley came on and then went off injured.
Slot’s in-game management has earned praise right from the first game of the season when he removed Jarell Quansah at half-time against Ipswich, but the feeling is that it is now, with the schedule at its most intense, that the Liverpool boss is under scrutiny.
Late last year, when the only team in 16 to deny them victory was Arsenal – and even that was a useful draw at the Emirates Stadium – progress was serene and rotation on the Dutchman’s terms. Now, it all comes laced with risk, a change too many or too few.
Slot’s selection in the spotlight
At Villa, Slot eschewed the temptation to rotate ahead of that game against Manchester City on Sunday, making only one change to the team from the weekend. Curtis Jones’ recall made logical sense given that his suspension had given him an enforced rest.
But the decision to bring in the midfielder for Luis Diaz meant a subtle change of formation as well as personnel, Liverpool going with a variation of 4-2-2-2 with Jones playing from the left pocket and the energetic Dominik Szoboszlai joining the attack too.
Putting the formation question to Slot after the game, he explained: “The reason why we did this is that Lucho [Diaz] played three games in seven days. I played him at Plymouth because I knew I had Cody [Gakpo], so I could switch them around if needed.
“But then Cody got injured at Everton because he got a big knock and all of a sudden there was only one winger left. So that is why, for today, we felt this could work. And I think it did if you look at the amount of chances we created and how we played.”
He added: “It was not smart to play Lucho for 90 minutes again. The same way I had to take out Jota and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], both coming back from injuries. You have to take care of them, especially in a period of time where you play so many games.”
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Sky Sports’ Peter Smith asks whether fatigue is creeping in among Liverpool’s stars
Some supporters have been critical of the club for not being more active in the transfer window, making the signings that they felt would have helped get this group over the line. Others have been encouraged by the impact of those on the margins.
Jota equalised with his first touch at Nottingham Forest. Nunez, despite his big miss here, won the points at Brentford. It was Quansah who made a game-winning challenge against Wolves. From Bradley to Wataru Endo, there are those ready to contribute.
But ready for a bigger role? That is a bigger question. There are still the totems Salah and Virgil van Dijk, those immovable objects in the Liverpool team whose removal from the equation would alter the complexion, not just in future seasons but in the here and now.
There will be more difficult moments ahead, but if those two, in particular, can stay fit, you fancy Liverpool will not wilt. They showed that much at Villa. It was the first time in five years that they had scored first and still been behind at half-time. But they responded.
This team just scores goals. It is the difference in the title race. They are unbeaten in 22 Premier League games having scored in all 22 of them. Away from home, they have scored nine more goals than any other team, scored 50 per cent more than Arsenal.
As their fans made their way north, thoughts already turning to Sunday, it was left to Unai Emery to have the final word. “Liverpool are the best team in the Premier League and the best team in the Champions League.” Winning at City would all but confirm it.
Watch Manchester City vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League this Sunday from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm
