Liverpool moved 16 points ahead of second placed Leicester City in the Premier League table with a hard fought 1-0 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur.
The win broke a European top five league record, with Jurgen Klopp’s charges winning 20 and drawing one of their opening 21 league games.
A solitary goal from Roberto Firmino sealed the victory for the Reds, despite a performance that often flitted between sublime and abject.
The game was barely a few minutes old when Liverpool ought to have opened the scoring, with both Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Firmino spurning great opportunities.
Setting up in a typically disciplined Jose Mourinho deep block, with Serge Aurier playing on the right hand side of midfield in a 451 formation, Spurs attempted to stymie The Reds attacking flow.
But that didn’t stop the league leaders creating ample opportunities, with the aforementioned attempts from Oxlade Chamberlain and Firmino as well as a Virgil van Dijk header from a Henderson cross.
With all the chances going to waste and the hosts, with Son Heung Min, in particular, looking dangerous on the counter attack, many fans may have felt it could have been “one of those days”.
Those fears were allayed in the 37th minute. Firmino, after receiving a pass from Mohamed Salah in the box, hammered past Paulo Gazzaniga with his weaker left foot.
The goal was just rewards for Liverpool’s efforts and they held their 1-0 lead going into the interval.
To their credit, Spurs improved in the second half and the introduction of Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela provided a catalyst for the home team. Christian Eriksen, who Lo Celso replaced, was roundly booed by the White Hart Lane faithful as he exited the pitch.
Lo Celso was finding space in between the lines offering the home team an option that the lacklustre Eriksen failed to give them.
The Argentinian, formerly of Real Betis, missed a brilliant opportunity to tie the game up midway through the second half, but inexplicably fluffed his lines.
Spurs continued to huff and puff, but all of their efforts were denied by Alisson, none of which, though, were what would be considered excellent chances.
With the industrious Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield and the fresh legs and hold up play of Divock Origi, Liverpool held on for a win that could prove massive come the end of the season.
Liverpool team: Alisson; Alexander Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Oxlade Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Subs: Lallana for Oxlade Chamberlain, Origi for Mane, Shaqiri for Salah.
Subs not used: Adrian. Phillips, Williams, Minamino.
