Amazingly, despite their well-known troubles this season, Liverpool now finds themslves just two points shy of the top four positions in the Premier League.
Four games unbeaten on the spin in league action has definitely helped catapult Arne Slot's once forlorn Reds back into European contention, with a 2-0 success over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday undoubtedly lifting spirits at Anfield, as a bumper list of Christmas fixtures lies ahead.
Hugo Ekitike scores for Liverpool
Hugo Ekitike was Liverpool's star man against the Seagulls, as the £69m summer recruit collected another brace, after also helping himself to a double against Leeds United earlier in the month.
Arguably, Ekitike could find himself in the early conversation for Liverpool's player of the season, with certain bright sparks managing to still stand out at Anfield, despite some poor results.
Who is keeping Slot in the dugout at Liverpool?
Ekitike is certainly doing so. He is already up to ten goals for the season, leading to Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy heralding him as a "sensational" pick up.
Seven of those efforts have come in Premier League action, with the Frenchman leading the way for Slot's men in the goalscoring charts subsequently. With Alexander Isak only one goal down in the league, on the contrary, there will be plenty of relief in the air that the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man has led by example in attack, with a player of the season suggestion not the wildest shout.
Isak-Ekitike-Liverpool-Van-Dijk-Konate
Alongside Ekitike, it could be argued that Ryan Gravenberch has been another rare shining light at Anfield this campaign, with three goals and two assists in the league immediately sticking out.
Digging under the surface, though, the Dutchman has also been a consistent battler during tough times, winning 4.8 duels per game this season in the top-flight, leading to ex-Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman boldly suggesting that the ex-Ajax man is a "vital" part of Slot's jigsaw. To add context, Alexis Mac Allister has only managed to win a weak 2.9 duels per match as one of Gravenberch's declining teammates.
Gravenberch
Yet above all else, there is one huge shining light, and Jamie Carragher wasn't even his "biggest fan" last season.
Liverpool star is proving Jamie Carragher wrong
The former Liverpool legend routinely ruffles feathers with his comments as a Sky Sports pundit, with Carragher not mincing his words earlier this month when branding Isak as "really poor" against Sunderland. Alongside recent criticism of the goal-shy Swede, he has also been vocal about Mohamed Salah, amid his public falling out with Slot.
Going back in time to February, he was also direct about his feelings regarding Dominik Szoboszlai as Liverpool's starting number ten, stating that he isn't the "biggest fan" of the Hungarian when it comes to his output, having singled him out for only managing to bag three league goals during his debut campaign on English shores.
Fair to say, Carragher will now be eating those words when considering how clutch the ex-RB Leipzig midfielder has been in recent times for Slot's up-and-down team, as seen in him recently winning a Champions League tie singlehandedly against Inter Milan, when coolly converting a late penalty.
That bumped up his overall goal contribution tally for the season to ten goals and assists, with Szoboszlai also amongst the goals in Liverpool's all-action 3-3 draw at Elland Road.
Szoboszlai's PL numbers this season
Stat (* = per 90 mins)
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Key passes*
Ball recoveries*
Total duels won*
Stats by Sofascore
Still, it's his well-rounded game all campaign long that makes him a clear standout option to be the Reds' Player of the Season, as can be seen looking at the table above, with journalist Lewis Steele going out of his way to declare him as such on social media.
Indeed, the £120k-per-week Szoboszlai has even tirelessly gone about his business as a make-shift right-back on occasion, with an energetic 5.7 ball recoveries averaged per match in the Premier League, consequently.
Szoboszlai
With a stylish 87% pass accuracy also registered, it's hard to find any real faults in the 25-year-old's game this season, with Ekitike sometimes falling victim to barren patches of form in front of goal.
Additionally, Gravenberch hasn't always been at the races, having been branded as "lazy" during Liverpool's devastating 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven by journalist Jan Riha.
Whereas the much-loved number 8 has consistently been showered with praise, as ESPN's Beth Lindop branded him as the club's "most important player" back in November, meaning he would be a deserved recipient of Liverpool's player of the season honour, if it were handed out today.
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