FSG sent Mohamed Salah contract message with new Liverpool banner as Arne Slot gets what he deserves

Whisper it quietly, but Liverpool supporters are starting to feel that something serious might just be stirring now under Arne Slot. And for good reason, the Reds will spend the international break on top of the Premier League, with a five-point buffer offering a plump cushion for added comfort.

It's no wonder the Kop was singing Slot's name at full-time; the new head coach has enjoyed a sensational opening few months on Merseyside and even in his most optimistic of hopes, it won't have gone as smoothly as this. This 2-0 triumph over Aston Villa, thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, sends them further clear with plenty of space to breathe.

For the second week in succession the Reds were boosted by Manchester City dropping points on the same day and the champions' fourth successive defeat in all competitions, this time at Brighton & Hove Albion, means Pep Guardiola is now officially enduring his most difficult run at the Etihad in nine years.

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Having steered the ship so masterfully during a run that has given them an unprecedented four straight league titles, one has to wonder how much damage the legal wranglings with both the Premier League and former defender Benjamin Mendy is actually doing now at the Etihad? For so long, they were subplots that had little material impact on the pitch itself, but a shocking decline in the last 10 days or so will inevitably lead to questions, even if they are of little concern at Anfield.

Despite their current issues, however, City's unwanted sequence surely won't stretch on too much longer, so it was imperative that Slot's team continued to make hay while the sun shone down. A visit from Tottenham Hotspur on the other side of the break is not an ideal fixture for Guardiola to try and arrest the obvious slump but with two weeks to think through the problems, you'd be brave to bet that City won't return to their previous levels soon enough and that's why this latest victory here at Anfield could prove so important.

Nunez gave the Reds the lead on 20 minutes when Virgil van Dijk's ball up to Salah from a Villa corner saw the No.11 brought down by Leon Bailey when clean through, only for referee David Coote to curiously rule there was no foul. Nunez didn't waste time protesting and instead carried on the attack to round Emi Martinez and fire home for his third of the campaign.

The Uruguay striker has gone from the chance-magnet with the shoot-on-sight policy under Jurgen Klopp to more of a cog in the Slot system in recent months, with the underlying numbers in his performance indicating that transformation.

This, though, was more like the Nunez fans have become accustomed to and he should have had a second in the first period before his header from Andy Robertson's cross flashed wide after the restart. Diogo Jota's return will be very welcome but Nunez has been generally excellent in the absence of the Portugal star. The ovation he received when subbed for Cody Gakpo was well earned.

The one worry for Slot was the sight of Trent Alexander-Arnold being withdrawn for Conor Bradley after just 25 minutes. The England international is a doubt for the Three Lions' upcoming fixtures with Greece and Ireland, which might prove to be a blessing for Reds fans, but an anxious wait now ensues as to the severity of the injury.

Salah settled a second half that was just starting to get nervy when he won the ball high up the pitch before racing clean through to poke home and double the advantage. That was the cue for 60,000-plus at Anfield to shout long and loud about being top of the league and it's an anthem they are getting used to singing proudly just now.

And if there was any further encouragement needed for high-level contract talks to reach a resolution with Salah's representatives from Liverpool's perspective, a banner unfurled in the Kop spoke a thousand words on behalf of the fanbase, directly to club owners Fenway Sports Group.

'FSG, he fires a bow, now give him his dough' was the message in support of Salah and the new celebration he has rolled out this term. With 10 goals and as many assists for the season already, it's hard to argue against offering a considerably lucrative extension, particularly given his own manager believes Salah can emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by maintaining his status as a leading light of the game well into his late 30s. Your move, John W Henry.

When Slot signed on the dotted line of a three-year contract earlier this year, he might have expected it to have taken him longer than it has to make Anfield history. And while the head coach will continue to stress that he will want to eventually be remembered for more than simply a blistering start, a run of 15 wins from his first 17 competitive games in charge is something no-one else has managed with the Reds. His achievement of nine wins from his first 11 top-flight fixtures is also a feat not matched by any of his predecessors.

Name any of the great and good of the Anfield dugout and Slot's record is superior at this stage of their respective tenures; not Shankly or Paisley, nor Dalglish or Klopp can boast such a run. More tangible measures of success will hopefully lie in wait if you ask the man himself, but the opening few months of Slot's time in charge should not be dismissed simply because it is just the start. It might be the prelude to another glorious period. Time will tell on that score, but the early omens are hugely encouraging.

What will enthuse Slot more than the unique record in his possession is how his players have navigated the sort of run that many said contained the potential to blow their early progress way off course. The period between the October and November international breaks has seen clashes with Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton twice and Villa alongside Champions League meetings with RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

A strong showing was never going to be enough to secure the overriding objectives of the campaign, but a poor return in that stretch certainly could have dented Liverpool's hopes beyond repair. So it will delight Slot more than he publicly lets on that his team have come through this seven-game sequence with six victories and a draw to stand tall as Premier League and Champions League leaders, with a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals also secured.

Emerge from December's run - which features Real Madrid, Man City, Everton, Newcastle United and Tottenham among others - in a similarly healthy state then people will really be starting to not just dream, but believe.