Liverpool maintained their six-point lead at the top of the table with a 4-1 thrashing of Ipswich Town on Saturday as they put in a dominant display over the Premier League strugglers. The Reds went in at the break three goals to the good thanks to efforts from Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Gakpo scored his second midway through the second half and even though the Tractor Boys a last-minute consolation, Arne Slot’s men saw out proceedings to clinch a comfortable win.

While Nottingham Forest were thrashed 5-0 away to AFC Bournemouth, 10-man Arsenal clinched a narrow 1-0 win away at Wolves to prevent Liverpool from extending their lead further.

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But with the Reds remaining firmly in the driving seat in the Premier League title-race, here’s what the national media, along with our own Paul Gorst, made of their latest win…

Paul Joyce of The Times pointed out Slot’s father would have been much more impressed by Liverpool’s performance than he was in midweek against Lille, on a day where the Reds were always hungry for more.

He wrote: “The outcome had long since been in any doubt when Jaden Philogene, the Ipswich Town attacker, profited from a rare moment of slackness from Mohamed Salah and, suddenly, half of Anfield opened up in front of him.

“Before the youngster could stretch his legs, however, he quickly found he had company. Salah had busted a gut to rectify his error, chasing back into his own half to ease his rival off the ball amid rapturous applause. It was a moment to sum up this game and perhaps Liverpool’s season.

“As clinical as they had been in establishing a yawning first-half advantage against outclassed opponents, the hunger for more remained undimmed.

“Within seconds of Salah’s challenge initiating another attacking move, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped over a sumptuous cross for Cody Gakpo to dispatch and seal their biggest home Premier League win of this campaign.

“Even Slot’s idealist father, Arend, who had been unimpressed by the routine midweek victory over Lille in the Champions League, would surely have deemed this more enjoyable when his son checked in afterwards.”

The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe would also highlight Salah busting a gut to reclaim possession in the build-up to Liverpool’s fourth goal.

He wrote: “The enduring genius of Mohamed Salah is that he is as comfortable leaving a football pitch in mucky boots as he is at trying to win golden ones. When any coach at any level wants a clip summing up the essence of a winning team and a superstar footballer, they need look no further than an action just before Liverpool’s fourth versus Ipswich Town.

“With Liverpool on the point of turning the game into an exhibition, Salah was poised in his familiar position on the right. His intention was to play a one-two with Trent Alexander-Arnold or Dominik Szoboszlai, but instead he carelessly surrendered possession to Jaden Philogene, offering the chance to launch a counter-attack.

“Just as Philogene reached the halfway line, Salah was at his heels. The Egyptian dashed 25 yards to remedy his mistake, retrieve the ball and start another Liverpool attack. Thirty seconds later, an Alexander-Arnold cross for Cody Gakpo led to the Dutchman heading Liverpool 4-0 ahead.

“Hard work precedes glory, and Salah typifies how thriving in the front line means being willing to help out in the trenches.

“There isn’t one driving force in Liverpool’s title bid, but the team’s leaders set the standards. For those of us chronicling Liverpool’s attempt to win the English championship for the 20th time, there is a danger of engaging in a rotation policy, the qualities and feats of Salah and Virgil van Dijk unavoidably top of the agenda in each match report.

“Whether the pair are motivated by the desire to win another Premier League and Champions League, or sending a message that these need not be their final laps of Anfield, Liverpool are reaping the rewards of their extraordinary talent. Those hoping for an Anfield wobble look likely to be disappointed with those two in such prime form.”

With today marking a year since Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager, Andy Hunter of The Guardian wrote that the handover period could not have gone any better.

He said: “Sunday marks the 12-month anniversary of Jürgen Klopp announcing he was standing down as Liverpool manager. The handover, it is safe to say, could not have gone better. Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders maintained their title pursuit with a comfortable stroll against Ipswich, whose only consolation was that a second heavy defeat in succession could have been worse.

“Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, with two, were on the scoresheet as Liverpool racked up a 16th win in 22 league games under Slot. Liverpool continued their title challenge while rarely meeting one worthy of the description from Ipswich.

“Liverpool were three goals up and coasting by half-time, as City had been, and Ipswich again made life comfortable for heavyweight opposition. The gulf between the Champions League elite and newly promoted sides may be insurmountable – the quality of the substitutes that Slot introduced confirmed as much – but Ipswich’s fragile resistance meant this was never a contest.

“The last thing Ipswich needed after their heaviest defeat of the season was to fall behind early. Another long old afternoon was under way after 11 minutes. Andy Robertson dispossessed Omari Hutchinson on the left, Liverpool worked the ball to Ibrahima Konate on the right and the central defender threaded a fine pass into Szoboszlai’s run behind Kalvin Phillips.

“The Liverpool midfielder drilled a low finish inside Christian Walton’s left post from 18 yards. Liverpool exploited the pocket of space behind Ipswich’s central midfielders all afternoon.”

The Daily Mail’s Joe Bernstein focussed on the Reds’ arsenal of attacking options in contrast to their Premier League title rivals.

He wrote: “What separates Liverpool from their title rivals is the range of firepower available to Arne Slot. With last week’s two-goal hero Darwin Nunez restricted to the bench, this was Cody Gakpo’s time to weigh in with a brace, quite besides the Premier League’s top scorer Mo Salah taking his season’s tally to 23 in all competitions.

“It’s the main reason that Liverpool are spending the first anniversary of Jurgen Klopp’s bombshell departure announcement six points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

“Whereas Manchester City have over-relied on Erling Haaland this season and Arsenal are desperate to have one regular marksman, Slot has at least five at his disposal plus the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold capable of chipping in.

“Saturday's routine win stretched Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 18 and was never in doubt once Szoboszlai had opened the scoring after 11 minutes. At an expectant Anfield, the Liverpool juggernaut didn’t take long to roll into gear.

“Ipswich, shellshocked by shipping six to City a week ago, might even have been relieved by the final scoreline having trailed 3-0 at half-time, with Liverpool frustrated by letting a clean sheet slip in the final minute.

Pete Hall of The Independent believes Liverpool are now reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Manchester United as they surely stroll towards the title.

He wrote: “Boring Liverpool? After scoring three inside one half to cruise to victory over Ipswich at Anfield, the league leaders are in fact only guilty of one thing – being too good for the rest.

“Pundits out for the sensationalist clicks – and Arne Slot’s tough-to-please father – cannot gripe this time around, with a 4-1 success over a bedazzled Ipswich sending Liverpool six points clear at the top of the table.

“What is most pleasing for the Anfield faithful, however, is the champion-like aura Liverpool have already created. Whenever teams came to Old Trafford in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they were already beaten before a ball was kicked. Manchester City mastered that backed-up superiority complex until their recent cataclysmic decline, too.

“Anfield has always been a near unconquerable fortress. But while Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football used to blow teams away, there is a more calm and confident swagger to Slot’s charges, one similar to that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy-laden team – the opposition could be disposed of without breaking sweat.

“Winning a match knowing they could have upped the ante on demand, however, is sometimes just as rewarding for a Liverpool side surely strolling towards a second Premier League crown.”

And finally Liverpool ECHO’s own LFC correspondent, Paul Gorst, pointed out how the battle for the title is now down to a two-horse race.

He wrote: “While the Premier League leaders ran out 4-1 winners over Ipswich Town here at Anfield, this was never going to be the sort of day that allowed Slot to gather enough evidence to deny suggestions that his well-drilled team aren't a particular joy to watch for the neutrals. Frankly, who cares? Reds fans themselves most certainly won't…

“As the scoreline of Bournemouth's 5-0 hammering of Nottingham Forest was read out over the tannoy at full-time, the lack of any enthusiasm from the Liverpool fans laid bare how much they really consider Nuno Espirito Santo's team as genuine rivals for the Premier League title.

“But if Forest, who are now nine points back in third, were in the hunt prior to a damaging defeat on the south coast, it’s tempting to suggest that this chase for the biggest honour in English football is now down to just two in Liverpool and Arsenal.

“And for a long time, it looked as though this stroll against a relegation-threatened Ipswich would represent a much more important day for Slot's men than it had any right to be given its low-key status.

“But a second-half winner for 10-man Arsenal at Wolves, who also had a man sent off at Molineux, means the status quo is only preserved ahead of a potentially seismic weekend when the Reds travel to Bournemouth and the Gunners host Manchester City the following day. Emerge from that trip to the Vitality with three more points and belief will only swell further. And there will be no-one calling that boring then.”