Things are looking up for Liverpool once again following a slight dip at the start of the month.

The Reds failed to beat any of its first three Premier League opponents of 2025 and the FA Cup victory over Accrington Stanley was its solitary win of the new year prior to last Saturday. But beating Brentford and Lille has quickly changed the mood around Anfield after what was only a minor blip.

The injury-time win at Brentford, coupled with Arsenal’s dropped points against Aston Villa, means Liverpool sits six points clear at the top of the table once again with a game in hand, while the Lille triumph ensured Arne Slot’s side have secured passage to the last 16 of the Champions League.

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A point next week at PSV Eindhoven and top spot is also wrapped up, giving credence to suggestions Liverpool is currently the world’s best side. That was the post-match verdict of Thomas Frank and Jonathan David in recent days.

Under Slot, not only has Liverpool exercised more midfield control and demonstrated the same attacking variations as under the previous manager, but the Reds have also been more defensively robust.

That was highlighted again on Tuesday as Slot’s side set a new club record for longest run without conceding in Europe. The previous record was set by Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the 2005/06 season when it went 572 minutes without allowing the opposition to score.

The 2024/25 edition were just seconds away from going 600 minutes without conceding, but Jonathan David’s equaliser at Anfield in the 2-1 win over Lille means the new record stands at 599 minutes.

Liverpool conceded just three minutes into its Champions League campaign when Christian Pulisic gave AC Milan the lead at San Siro. The Reds went on to win 3-1 and then kept clean sheets in subsequent matches against Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Girona.

David’s 62nd-minute strike brought that long-standing run to an end, in what was the only moment that frustrated Slot on the night.

“We didn't force a pass; we just kept the ball for as long as we could,” the Liverpool boss said during his post-match press conference. “The only thing I wasn't happy about is that not for the first time in recent weeks, it was one chance for the other team and a goal. That's maybe a phase of the season we are in at the moment.”

As Slot’s comments indicate, Liverpool’s impressive defensive record has waned a little in recent weeks, particularly in the Premier League. Liverpool began the domestic campaign with five straight clean sheets and conceded one goal in the first seven matches. However, the last eight league games have yielded just two clean sheets and 12 times the opposition have netted in that period.