Liverpool couldn’t have imagined being in this position in the Premier League. On Christmas Day, they will be four points clear at the top, with a 12-point lead over Manchester City and a game in hand.

What’s perhaps most exciting for Arne Slot, however, is the potential for improvement. The three goals conceded against Tottenham were far from ideal, and there is still room for more control in the game, with individuals also capable of stepping up.

Notably, Dominik Szoboszlai came alive in North London, particularly in the first half against Spurs. Chosen for his energy and intensity, he also showed the composure he needs more often in the final third, contributing with a goal and an assist.

He scored one and could have got a second. Szoboszlai was central to everything his side did going forward and tied everything together. The Hungarian now needs to show that side of his game more frequently, but he clearly has it in his locker.

Excelling most often in the biggest games, Szoboszlai is ideally suited to when things get stretched. Quite obviously, that was the game that was coming up here, and he reveled in it.

Another to excel was Luis Diaz, getting the revenge he deserved after the VAR error in the same fixture last season. Selected as the number nine even though Darwin Nunez is fit and available and Diogo Jota has now returned, Diaz netted two and, like Szoboszlai, expertly linked the play together as well.

It says something that Nunez, in particular, wasn’t picked, with Jota not 100 per cent sharp after his injury. But it arguably says more about Cody Gakpo.

Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Spurs. (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images2024 Liverpool FC)

To get Diaz and Gakpo in the team, one has to play out of position. The Dutchman, in good form in the final third having scored nine and assisted three this year, and is seemingly undroppable. That meant Diaz playing in the middle where he played a central role, allowing Gakpo to play where he is best.

At some stage, Jota is likely to work his way back into the reckoning for Liverpool. Starting the season in the first XI, he is the Reds’ most potent number nine when he is fit and firing and he looked sharp here.

Diaz and Gakpo couldn’t have done much more, however, and Salah is a certainty for almost every 90 minutes. Federico Chiesa didn’t even make the matchday squad with Slot having so many options to pit against one another.

With Szoboszlai putting in his best performance since he arrived from RB Leipzig in 2023, proving himself as a more than capable attacking weapon who can do it all, and Gakpo and Diaz firing, Salah suddenly has a lot less pressure on his shoulders. The Egyptian got two, but it was the attacking unit as a foursome that was ignited here.

Gakpo is undroppable but Diaz is too. And with Spurs to come twice in the next six weeks in the Carabao Cup, Liverpool should be licking its lips.