Liverpool are top of the Premier League table at Christmas. On the face of it, that's no great surprise considering the comprehensive manner of their title triumph last season, which saw Jurgen Klopp's side crowned champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Manchester City, but securing the Christmas No. 1 spot this time around is a bigger achievement that it initially appears.
It hasn't all been plain sailing to the top, as first-choice defensive pairing Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have been ruled out for months with serious knee injuries and a succession of first-team regulars were sidelined following positive COVID-19 tests.