Tuesday night’s defeat for Manchester City at Newcastle means that Liverpool end January five points clear of their rivals, even after dropping points at home to Leicester.
We take a look at recent history – the working-out is below – to come up with an awful lot of reasons to be cheerful for Liverpool fans. Basically, it’s in the bag.
* In the last ten seasons, every team who has finished January at the top of the table has gone on to be champions. Every single one.
* In fact, you have to go back 15 years to 2003/04 to find a team winning the Premier League title from a place other than first. And that was Arsenal, who were one point behind leaders Manchester United, but with a game in hand. They were then Invincible. We think we can basically discount that as a precedent.
* In the ten most recent seasons, six end-of-January gaps were increased over the last four months of the season. Of the rest, two gaps remained the same and two were marginally narrowed.
* Manchester City have three times been the chasing team and, on every occasion, they have then lost ground on the eventual champions.
2017/18
1st on February 1: Manchester City
2nd on February 1: Manchester United
Gap at end of January: 15 points
Gap at end of season: 19 points
2016/17
1st on February 1: Chelsea
2nd on February 1: Tottenham
Gap at end of January: 9 points
Gap at end of season: 7 points
2015/16
1st on February 1: Leicester
2nd on February 1: Manchester City
Gap at end of January: 3 points
Gap at end of season: 10 points (to Arsenal)
2014/15
1st on February 1: Chelsea
2nd on February 1: Manchester City
Gap at end of January: 5 points
Gap at end of season: 8 points
2013/14
1st on February 1: Manchester City
2nd on February 1: Arsenal
Gap at end of January: 1 point
Gap at end of season: 2 points (to Liverpool)
2012/13
1st on February 1: Manchester United
2nd on February 1: Manchester City
Gap at end of January: 7 points
Gap at end of season: 11 points
2011/12
1st on February 1: Manchester City
2nd on February 1: Manchester United
Gap at end of January: 0 points (+6 goal difference)
Gap at end of season: 0 points (+8 goal difference)
2010/11
1st on February 1: Manchester United
2nd on February 1: Arsenal
Gap at end of January: 5 points
Gap at end of season: 9 points (to Chelsea)
2009/10
1st on February 1: Chelsea
2nd on February 1: Manchester United
Gap at end of January: 1 point
Gap at end of season: 1 point
2008/09
1st on February 1: Manchester United
2nd on February 1: Chelsea
Gap at end of January: 5 points
Gap at end of season: 4 points (to Liverpool)