KING SALAH: The Red Devils move SEVEN points clear at the top of the Premier League after surviving an early scare from the Foxes - with Mo Salah one of the goals again at Anfield

Arne Slot’s vision for Liverpool’s future is now sharper than ever, though it briefly seemed obscured—not just by tonight’s fog shrouding Anfield.

A Premier League title in his debut season as Liverpool manager is now a tangible goal. Slot and his players, also leading their Champions League group, need only stay consistent and maintain belief to claim the trophy.

However, their shaky start against Leicester was a reminder that there’s room for improvement. Ayew’s stunning opener exposed lingering issues in a defense Slot is striving to solidify. But offensively, Liverpool are a powerhouse, scoring two or more goals in 13 of their last 14 matches, overtaking Tottenham as the league’s highest scorers.

Photography of Cody Gakpo celebrating his goal against Leicester City.

The thick fog threatened to postpone the match, but three minutes in, Liverpool’s attack was already overwhelming Leicester. Jakub Stolarczyk, making his Premier League debut in goal, replaced Danny Ward after a rough week, but it was a baptism by fire.

Leicester, missing Jamie Vardy, managed an early lead with Mavididi outpacing Alexander-Arnold, whose struggles this season have kept him in Real Madrid’s sights. Despite this, Slot’s men showed the relentless energy that defines them, keeping the title firmly in their sights.

Curtis Jones put Liverpool in control soon after half-time

Curtis Jones put Liverpool in control soon after half-timeCredit: AFP

The midfielder made no mistake and survived a long VAR check

The midfielder made no mistake and survived a long VAR checkCredit: Reuters

With a lead at the top extended to seven points, with a game in hand over second–placed Chelsea, it is for more than just a shimmering image in the distance.

Behind to Jordan Ayew’s shock early effort, they simply eased past the valiant but ultimately vain challenge offered by Ruud van Nistlerooy’s side.

Slot’s debut campaign in English football is only gaining speed, powered by an unbeaten run that now stretches to a stunning 22 games since his only defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 14.

Triumph, not even half a season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp in a job many feared might be impossible because of the huge space the German had vacated, is in his hands.

Mavididi steadied himself before squaring and Ayew then performed brilliantly.

As Andy Robertson moved tight to close down, the former Crystal Palace veteran produced a magical pirouette to then fire a perfect low shot passed the gob–smacked Alisson and inside his right–hand post.

Slot’s side may well have gone into the game believing their own publicity given how so many around them have been declaring that the title is theirs to lose.

But if they took it too easy in that first attack it did actually seem too easy for them as they continued to power forward.

Cody Gakpo got unfortunate with one shot, Salah saw his effort deflected only inches over the bar.

And in the 25th minute, Robertson stole into the box to connect with Alexis Mac Allister’s chip, his header hitting almost exactly the same spot that had denied his Egyptian team-mate.

Van Nistelrooy’s strugglers couldn’t keep riding their luck, however, although there was nothing fortunate at all about Gakpo’s equaliser.

It was simply down to sheer class.

Slot’s fellow countryman gathered the ball on the left flank, checked inside and then let fly with a tremendous, curling right–footer that Stolarczyk could only watch as it glided past him and into his top left-hand corner.

That goal came a few seconds before first-half injury time.

Four minutes after the break Slot’s men were celebrating again.

And once again there was something special about the way they cut their way through Leicester’s massed ranks before Salah slid the ball across the box and Curtis Jones was there to calmly flick over the line.

A VAR check for offside was needed to confirm the strike on what as the midfielder’s 100th Prem appearance but there was no question of how high–end that goal was from start to finish.

Leicester weren’t quite finished yet and Alisson dodged a bullet after an hour.

For had Patson Daka stayed calm he would surely have tucked away another clever pass from Mavididi but instead he mis–kicked a dozen yards out.

Having taken the hint Liverpool went back into high–energy attacking mode and Darwin Nunez – given a start to give No1 striker Diogo Jota a break – finally emerged from his own brain fog.

His strike from Salah’s cross looked perfect to be fair to the mercurial Uruguayan but Stolarczyk excelled himself with a heroic block.

Gakpo thought he had claimed a second after smashing a shot into the net only for a VAR check that seemed to take forever to cancel with Nunez minutely offside.

Yet the third was always going to come and almost always when a killer blow is required, it once more came from Salah.

He gathered the ball, moved forward in that usual quick fashion of his, then when Van Nistelrooy’s defence thought they were sorted to blight the danger, he simply used Victor Kristiansen as a wall to block his dart inside before curling another exquisite shot beyond a goalkeeper.

Jordan Ayew gave Leicester the perfect start inside six minutes