Liverpool might not have been in Premier League action this weekend but there was a decent enough set of results for the Reds, who were able to watch on. Manchester City and Arsenal both stumbled again, while Chelsea came back to beat Tottenham.
While Spurs' squandering of a two-goal lead will take the headlines, Chelsea didn't exactly look solid. Marc Cucurella might blame his footwear, but the Spanish left-back was all at sea as Dominic Solanke and then Dejan Kulusevski took advantage of him slipping.
Any team that has Cole Palmer in its attack will always score goals but four points behind Liverpool having played a game more, there is still more for Chelsea to do before it can really cement itself as a true title contender.
Already out of the Carabao Cup and with only the UEFA Conference League to play for in terms of European soccer — in which it has played an almost entirely separate team during the group stage — that is a big fixture advantage. So too is the fact that Enzo Maresca has somehow managed to make some sense of the messy roster that he inherited.
And there is no denying that the strength in depth that Chelsea can call upon is impressive. "This is no underdog story; this is a team that has spent £1.2bn," Jamie Carragher quite rightly pointed out at the final whistle.
Looking capable of scoring more goals than Arsenal and generally just performing better than a flailing Manchester City, there is an argument that Chelsea is looking like the biggest challenger to Liverpool this season. There is still, though, a significant gap at the top.
(Image: 2024 Jacques Feeney/Offside)
Liverpool doesn't just have a four-point advantage with a game in hand as the halfway mark in the season nears; it also has evidence that it should be a level above Chelsea in the standings from when the pair met at Anfield. On that occasion, Curtis Jones kept Palmer quiet and still found time to net the winner.
Chelsea played well enough on the day but when it has come up against a functioning Manchester City and Liverpool away from home, it has come up short. Beating a Tottenham side that is horribly inconsistent — conceding three goals in the process — won't do much to change the perception that when it faces the very best teams, it isn't quite ready to come out on top yet. There is still more development to be done.
Of course, win every game aside from those against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal and Chelsea will end the campaign in top spot —and right now, it looks like the Blues could be the likeliest to give the Reds a scare. For Arne Slot and his players, though, the message will be simple: play your own game. Unless they drop off, Chelsea hasn't done enough yet to suggest it will be able to reel them in.