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Sunday 29 December 2019 16:53, UK
A successful week has put Liverpool 10 points clear with two games in hand - so is the race for the Premier League all over?
While former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson stopped short of saying the title is wrapped up, the Sky Sports pundit is in no doubt that the Reds have earned the right to be called champions-elect.
"That was the most complete away performance I have seen in decades from Liverpool (in winning 4-0 at Leicester on Boxing Day)," Thompson told Soccer Saturday.
"This was a performance that was absolutely awesome. It was only three points at the end of it, but it was the manner of it, the statement it made, the togetherness.
"Anything can happen in football, but Liverpool have been the best team this season and if they do win it, it will be fully deserved. But it is not over yet..."
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was in no mood to talk up his side's chances of an unlikely comeback after Friday night's defeat at Wolves.
He said: "We are used to being at the top and now we are far away so we have to adjust mentally to that.
"I said many times it is unrealistic to think about Liverpool; we need to think about Leicester. Now it is about trying to catch the second one. We had the chance to return to second but we remain third."
However, Guardiola says City must not prioritise the Champions League, Carabao Cup, or the FA Cup as they have to secure a European spot for next season.
"We cannot prioritise, or next season we'll not be in Europe," said Guardiola. "We come back in less than 40 hours to play another game [against Sheffield United]. We'll see how [the players] feel. That's what we are going to do."
In Premier League history, there has only been a 13-point lead at this stage of a season once before. Manchester United had that exact advantage over their nearest challengers in December 1993, and went on to win the division by eight points from Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, however, has refused to talk about the title, preferring instead to simply focus on their next game against Wolves at Anfield on Super Sunday.
"The only thing that changes is the numbers are different," he said. "It was 10, 11 and now it is 13 points. We don't feel it, we don't think about it. We did not mention it once before the game. It is just not interesting.
"I can write the stories by myself. Never before in the history of British football has a team had a bigger lead and lost the lead. That sounds negative in my head and we are just focused on the next games.
"We have Wolves, Sheffield United, Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United. That does not sound like anything is decided. We try with everything we have to be ready. The numbers are not relevant."
Leicester have stayed with the chasing pack and still sit second in the Premier League, even after back-to-back defeats to the teams either side of them.
But those results have highlighted a gulf in class between the teams on the pitch, if not in the league table, according to Soccer Saturday pundit Clinton Morrison.
He said: "It's not worrying, but Manchester City and Liverpool are on a different level to Leicester. They've had a great season, but it's a work in progress.
"You've got to give some credit to Brendan Rodgers, I think he's done a terrific job. There's some really talented players in there, but watching those two games, they were outclassed.
"There was always going to come a stage in the season where they'd go through a blip."
Liverpool currently lead champions City by a mammoth 14 points and with a game in hand, but click here to find out why there might be hope for the chasing pack...
It's not looking good for the competition, going by the current odds for the winner of the Premier League.
Liverpool: 1/20
Man City: 14/1
Leicester: 100/1
Fancy a flutter? If you think an upset might be on the cards, you can bet on it with Sky Bet here.
