Results stack up but Reds need more convincing performances

ANOTHER WIN BUT NERVY FINISHES CONTINUE

- By IAN DOYLE

THE final whistle blew on a tense 2-1 victory and the relief was palpable.

And it didn’t take long for the conversation among supporters streaming out of the stadium, along with those who had been following from home, to reach the same consensus.

“We can’t keep on winning like this,” was the gist of the discourse. “It cannot realistically continue.”

Except it wasn’t Liverpool fans exclusively expressing such views. In a strange quirk, all four of the Premier League's current leading terms earned narrow victories by the same scoreline that, amid the undoubted celebration of three points, prompted concern.

Arsenal needed an own goal and a late David Raya save to see off Brighton. Manchester City threw away a lead at Nottingham Forest before scoring in the closing stages.

And Aston Villa came from behind at Chelsea to extend their remarkable run to seven successive league wins by a single-goal margin.

It was a reminder the only priority during the busiest and most energy-sapping period of the season is a victory which, in the case of Arne Slot’s side, was sufficient to move them back into the top four and a Champions League qualification berth for the first time since early November, three points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.