LONDON: For the first time in almost two years Liverpool can celebrate being clear out in front of the rest of the Premier League. Chelsea dropped two points back behind Manchester City on goal difference after being held goalless at West Ham writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

That statistic is most significant because all the pre-season predictions were agreed: this season is perhaps now or never for Jurgen Klopp. He and his Liverpool team will never confront a better moment to regain the league title for the first time since 1990.

Beating Southampton 3-0 to record a sixth successive Premier victory and maintain that 100pc record was almost too easy. All the damage was done in the opening 45 minutes. A Wesley Hoedt own goal gave Klopp’s men the lead after 10 minutes before Joel Matip, playing instead of Joe Gomez at centre half, headed in a second after 21 minutes.

Mohamed Salah scored his third of the season just on half-time as he followed up after Xherdan Shaqiri’s free kick ricocheted down from the crossbar. That secured Liverpool’s best start to a season since they won eight league games in a row in 1990-91.

They have won seven in a row in all competitions, including the midweek victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Klopp said: “I lost seven games in a row once, that felt different! But then we won game No8 by 5-0, very cool. It’s a surprise but all the performances we showed so far were good enough to win the games.

“Different challenges, different styles of opponent, the boys were there, really in the situation and in the game.”

Klopp praised Shaqiri despite the Swiss forward’s halftime substitution for tactical reasons after his first Liverpool start. Liverpool had employed Xherdan Shaqiri behind Mo Salah, with Sadio Mane on the right and Roberto Firmino on the left.

He explained: “I told Shaq I’d never taken off a player at halftime after such an influential half. He was not injured but I wanted to control the game, go back to our normal formation, and that helped us. He’s a fantastic boy so there was no problem. Usually I don’t explain substitutions but I thought today it made a bit of sense.”

Unbeaten home run

Klopp’s 600th competitive game as a manager saw Liverpool extend an impressive home league record, unbeaten now in 18 games and 17 months at Anfield. No opposing player has scored at Anfield in the Premier League since February, with Liverpool scoring 23 in the same period.

Liverpool have the sort of momentum which is exerting heavy pressure on their title rivals already. Chelsea are still learning to play under a new manager in Maurizio Sarri while Manchester City are expected to focus their energies more specifically on the Champions League which is the No1 target for the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.

Klopp has a squad which is now deep enough, strong enough and talented enough for the task. Sky analyst Gary Neville has suggested that Liverpool forget the Champions League to concentrate on their Premier pursuit. That is not Klopp’s way. It is not Liverpool’s way. But Neville is right to the extent that a long-awaited 19th domestic title is the one the fans want the most.

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