Liverpool survived a very early scare on Boxing Day to brush aside Leicester with a 3-1 win at Anfield.
After Jordan Ayew threatened a shock result just six minutes later with a stunning first goal, the hosts fought back to restore parity, finally doing so on the cusp of half-time thanks to Cody Gakpo.
Four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones had given the Reds the lead for the first time in the match, and a brief VAR review confirmed the on-field decision.
With only one goal in the match, the result could never really be certain, or at least not until Mohamed Salah made it 3-1 just eight minutes from time.
With Chelsea losing to Fulham and Arsenal still to play on Friday, it was a result that left the Reds seven points ahead of the Blues.
Here, Mail Sport's LEWIS STEELE looks back at performances at Anfield on Boxing Day as Liverpool consolidated their position at the top of the table.
Arne Slot and Liverpool left Leicester aside to consolidate themselves at the top of the table
The Foxes had taken the lead in just six minutes and were threatening a huge upset at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah secured the points with a goal in the 82nd minute to seal an important victory.
Liverpool – 4-3-3:
Alisson – 6
I could barely see it from the top of the media seats, due to the heavy fog at Anfield. There was little he could do about Leicester's first goal, and that was his only shot on goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6.5
Too relaxed with Stephy Mavididi for Leicester's goal, but otherwise put in a decent performance, directing the game from deep. Some crosses went wide but he continued to attack.
José Gomez – 7 (Reserved)
He made some big, strong tackles and kept the team on a decent run, although he and Van Dijk will want to get their poor run of clean sheets back on track after four clean sheets.
Virgil van diijk – 7
He was unlucky to see the ball deflect off his heel towards goal, but then put in a dominant display, giving Leicester's attackers nothing to gain confidence from.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was too loose on Stephy Mavididi for Leicester goal but otherwise decent
Virgil van Dijk's performance left nothing to encourage Leicester's attack
Andy robertson – 6.5 (Reserved)
They took the ball away from Jordan Ayew's goal and it wasn't strong enough. However, make a decent attacking switch, which is constantly an option on the left. Unfortunately a header hit the post.
ryan Gravenberch – 6.5
Gravenberch is often overlooked, but he does a lot for the team: he runs constantly and is available to receive passes.
alexis Mac Allister – 7.5
A fabulous display from Liverpool's magical Argentinian, a bulldog-like figure in midfield without the ball and making things happen with it, including two assists, the second a beautiful pass to Jones.
Curtis jones – 7.5
He marked his 100th league appearance for Liverpool with a goal, appearing in the right place at the right time with a quick late run into the penalty area and a fine finish.
mohamed Salah – 7.5
He felt like he wasn't going to get his usual goal or assist, even though it was a good night for him, but he finally found the breakthrough in the 82nd minute when he scored a goal into the far corner from the right side of the box. . A characteristic finish
Cody Steel – 8 (MOTM)
Liverpool were below average in the first half, but Gakpo seemed to be the one looking to make things happen and he did so on the stroke of half-time with a beautiful curling finish. He deserved a second but was offside and also saw a header go wide.
Darwin Nunez – 5.5
Needs one to come in behind with just two league goals all season. But Núñez is often a victim of bad luck and that was the case here as well.
Substitutes:
Dominik Szoboszlai (substitute for Jones, 77 min) (reserved)
Diogo Jota (by Núñez, 77)
We play Endo (for Gravenberch, 86)
Kostas Tsimikas (substitute for Robertson, 86)
Harvey Elliott (by Mac Allister, 90+1)
Unused substitutes: Kelleher, Quansah, Díaz, Elliott, Chiesa.
LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk 6; Justin 7, Coady 6.5 (Okoli 90+5), Vestergaard 6, Kristiansen 6.5; Winks 5 (Skipp 65, 5), Soumare 6; Ayew 7, El Khannous 6 (Buonanotte 65, 5), Mavididi 6.5 (De Cordova-Reid 87); Daka 5.
Unused subs: Iversen, Alves, Choudhury, Edouard, Thomas.
Referee: Darren Bond