ARNE SLOT’S Liverpool may have passed their first great test, then the next one, and then the next one, but the Dutch manager is always the first to say that being here now, top of the Premier League and the Champions League in December, isn’t what counts. It’s where you are at the end of the season that does.

This weekend, Liverpool face their latest “first big test” of the Slot era when they face perennial title winners and regular competitive rivals Manchester City at Anfield.

While Slot is right to be pragmatic, his start at Liverpool has been better than anyone could have hoped, and it sometimes feels like it is being taken for granted somewhat.