With Liverpool going five points clear at the top of the Premier League after 11 games, Alexis Mac Allister‘s assessment of their title hopes has changed.
Two weekends running, the Reds have capitalised on poor results for title rivals Man City and Arsenal to gain control of pole position.
A 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday night came directly after a 2-1 loss for City away to Brighton, with Arne Slot‘s players watching the action in the dressing room at Anfield.
Now sitting five points ahead of City heading into the international break, the Reds could be forgiven for a new belief in their title chances.
Asked in his post-match interview with TNT Sports whether he feels Liverpool can now gain a hold on the title race, Mac Allister agreed.
“Yes, of course. If you are top of the league, five points ahead, then it means something,” he explained.
“But as I said, I think we have to go step by step.
“If you asked me before the season started, I wouldn’t have said we were contenders, but now it looks like it. We are going to keep working and try to keep getting better.”
The midfielder added: “We are happy with it, we know that we are top of the league, but there are still a lot of games so we take it step by step.”
Mohamed Salah assisted Darwin Nunez‘s opener and scored the second himself in another influential display for Liverpool’s free-scoring No. 11.
With the Egyptian yet to reach a breakthrough in talks over a new contract at Anfield, every performance serves as a reminder of what the Reds could lose.
“He’s so good and so important for this team, I think we all know,” Mac Allister said.
“Not just for the team, but for the club as well. He’s a legend here. So, happy for him.
“When you have him you know that he’s going to deliver, he’s going to get the numbers. We’re happy that he’s playing for us.”
Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa