Liverpool piled the pressure on its remaining title rivals with a convincing 5-0 win against West Ham. Though Chelsea and Arsenal will have the chance to close the gap in the coming days, with both in action twice before the Reds play again, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have seen enough to make a bold prediction.

It was another scintillating performance from Mohamed Salah, who scored one and assisted another two to help Liverpool on its way. We're still only in December, but he has become the first player in Premier League history to score and assist in eight separate games in a season.

Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold were all on the score-sheet too, proving that Liverpool's attacking threat extends beyond one (exceptional) man. There's no denying that it was a performance which underscored the team's title credentials.

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Sure enough, speaking on The Rest is Football, Lineker and Shearer agreed that Arne Slot's team will be tough to catch now. They hailed Liverpool as "unstoppable":

"I honestly can’t see anyone getting near Liverpool now, can you? They’re unstoppable now I think," suggested Lineker.

"Liverpool have been brilliant, they’re so strong in every position," Shearer concurred. "They’ve got so many options.

"They’re really, really strong and it’s hard to look at anyone else but Liverpool. It’s theirs to chuck away now."

Liverpool went into the round of fixtures with a game in hand, having seen its trip to Everton postponed earlier this month due to terrible weather conditions. By playing first, parity has briefly been restored, the result being a nine-point advantage over Arsenal for Slot's men. Chelsea trails the leaders by 10 points.

That is a hefty advantage to overturn as the Premier League reaches its halfway point. Shearer is right: Liverpool is in the driving seat now.

The next question is how Slot's side copes with that pressure. Having not entered the season as title favorites by any stretch of the imagination, it will be a new challenge for the man who has so far taken the daunting task of replacing Jurgen Klopp in his stride.

But all signs are positive at Anfield heading into the New Year. Liverpool will need to maintain standards across the second half of the campaign, but the reward for doing so would now surely be a record-equalling 20th league title.

Liverpool.com says: In many ways, it's still hard to believe how well the season is going. But with Liverpool having now played everyone except Everton, Slot has tested himself against almost the entire league, and has rarely been found wanting.

The team is a wonderful blend of the foundations laid by Klopp and the new impetus provided by Slot. With standards among other challengers lower than in recent years, the bar for the title is no longer near-perfection, and each passing week brings more evidence that Liverpool is best-placed to claim the top prize.

With so much football still to come, it is important to take things game by game. But Shearer and Lineker are right to name the Reds as clear favorites at the halfway stage.