Liverpool moved seven points clear at the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Leicester at Anfield.
Second-placed Chelsea's defeat to Fulham earlier on Boxing Day gave Arne Slott's side the chance to extend their lead at the top and they took it with both hands – albeit after an early scare.
Leicester took the lead in the sixth minute when Jordan Ayew moved and found the bottom corner with an effort blocked from Stephy Mavididi's low cross, but the hosts came roaring back.
Cody Gakpo flattened when he cut in from the left and curled a brilliant effort from the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time, Liverpool then took the lead when Curtis Jones swept home Alexis McAllister's early cut . in the second period.
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring Liverpool's chance against Leicester on Boxing Day
Mohamed Salah, who hit the crossbar in the first half, added some gloss to the result late on when he broke into the box from the right and directed a fine finish past Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk for his 16th goal in the Premier League of the season.
Liverpool's lead at the top will be cut to six points if Arsenal beat third-placed Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night, but Arne Slott's side still have a game in hand, putting them in an even stronger position in the race for title.
Meanwhile, Leicester slip below Wolves in 18th place, their third successive defeat in the Premier League leaving them a point adrift of safety.
Slot: You saw how good we are
Liverpool leader Arne Slots:
“It sounds strange but I thought we had a really good start. We threatened them for six minutes, but then one minute when we underestimated a situation and that immediately led to a chance and a goal and we have to work hard to come. back in the game.
“In the end I wouldn't say we were lucky, but it helped a lot to score before half-time, because we went 1-0 down and it was a game before we did 3-1. Then I think you saw how good we really are.”
Curtis Jones celebrates after Liverpool beat Leicester 2-1
As Liverpool lost the title, he said: “I don't look at it that way. It's a boring answer, but as a manager you go game by game because you know how many games you still have to play and you can see especially in the unexpected Premier League results because teams have so much quality.
“Maybe if it was the Eredivisie it would feel like this but not in this competition.”
Salah on target again
Mohamed Salah from Liverpool to Amazon Prime:
“It's a good result. They were better in the first half, the way they prepare themselves, they were very good.
“The way they were standing in front of the box, it was very difficult for us especially in the first half, but we managed to score three goals and it's a good result.
“It (Gakpo's) was a good goal and it gave us confidence in the second half to try and win the game. It's something he's done a lot in training. It was a good finish it was from him.”
On his own goal, Salah said: “It's great. The most important thing for me is the winning team. Hopefully we win the Premier League and I'll have a big impact. We have to focus and keep it up.”
Cody Steele he said of his goal: “We practice that a lot and they always say practice makes perfect so we'll keep working.
“Obviously we went behind, we had to fight to get level and we had good chances. I got the ball from (Mac Allister) and saw a bit of space and did exactly what we do in training.
“We know the victories we have, but it is not good to go behind. We are working on that so we are not lazy at first.”
Salah reaches landmark – Opta stats
- Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been involved in 27 goals in 17 Premier League games this season (16 goals, 11 assists), just one less than in 32 games last year (18 goals, 10 assists).
- His goal to make it 3-1 was his 100th Premier League home goal. He is the eighth player to reach this milestone.
- Making his 250th Premier League start for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah became the fourth player to record 250 Premier League goals for one side (171 goals, 79 assists), joining Wayne Rooney for Man Utd (276), Ryan Giggs for Man Utd. (271) and Harry Kane for Tottenham (259).
Analysis: Is there a stoppage for Liverpool?
By the time the final whistle blew, Ayew's opening goal felt like a distant memory. Surprisingly, Leicester did not have a single shot after the 10th minute of the game.
Liverpool have such an ability to suffocate their opponents. They stayed cool after falling behind, even as they struggled to find their rhythm. But Salah is not their only game changer.
Gakpo is another. His equalizing goal was a thing of beauty and the subsequent result was unlikely. Liverpool took the lead shortly after half-time and, of course, Salah had to score as well. In the end, it felt like as easy a victory as Liverpool could have asked for.
It's been up to four months since they last lost a game. That back in September against Nottingham Forest looks more like an aberration. The recent draws against Newcastle and Fulham also felt unusual but Liverpool are back in their groove now.
Their unbeaten run now stands at 22 games in all competitions. They will be top at the end of the year, regardless of the result against West Ham on Sunday. They are likely to peak in May as well. It is becoming difficult to see any other outcome.
Van Nistelrooy: Credit to my team
Leicester leader Ruud van Nistelrooy:
“We had the start we wanted. We knew we had to be complex, we had to defend well, defend good crosses which we did and with a couple of breaks we were dangerous. We were in the game and at 2-1 we were I had a chance with Patson Daka.
Leicester players celebrate after Jordan Ayew's opener at Liverpool
“These are the moments, in this type of game you have to take them. But credit to the team, we were competitive and we were in the game for a long time.
“It's up to us to improve, keep doing what we're doing, keep creating game plans for every opponent and think how we can win the game. The players know what to do and they acted on it and today was the highest possible.
