Gary Neville has admitted that Liverpool have proved him wrong with the way they dealt with the absences of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah during the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Reds were expected to seriously suffer while their star duo were away starring for Senegal and Egypt respectively but have instead went unbeaten after their temporary departures.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have continued that stunning form since their return, which has prompted an unexpected title challenge, closing the gap on leaders Manchester City to just three points.
The January signing of Luis Diaz has seriously boosted Klopp’s attacking options, with the Colombian starring alongside Salah and Mane to fire Liverpool on their title charge.
Liverpool last dropped points in the top-flight at the start of January when they drew at Chelsea, the last game Salah and Mane played before flying out to Cameroon.
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That is not a turn of form that Neville saw coming, with the former Manchester United captain admitting that he was wrong to predict the title race was won.
“You think about where they were, AFCON, Salah and Mane going away for a month, I thought that City would be out of sight,” Neville told Sky Sports on Monday Night Football.
“You thought City were going to win the league at a canter and they’ve not done.
“That’s credit to Liverpool, credit to the players, the signing of Diaz in January and the fact they’ve got a great manager who is able to drag that level of performance out of them week in week out.”
Despite Liverpool’s stunning run, Neville does believe that City, who host the Reds in April in what looks to be a blockbuster clash, still have the edge.
But the United icon also stated that Klopp possess an “absolute joke” of an attacking line-up, with Salah, Mane, Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all pushing to start.
Salah, Mane and Diaz have been Klopp’s preferred line-up in the top-flight in recent games, though Jota has been in impressive form this season.
But it is the impact of Diaz that has impressed Neville the most, with the winger taking to life in the Premier League with aplomb.
“I wouldn’t say it’s 50/50, Man City do just edge it,” Neville said when asked who he thought would win the title.
“But Liverpool have got five players up front who are an absolute joke.
“And Diaz, saw him for the first time live at the Carabao Cup final and I couldn’t believe what I was watching for a player who had just entered English football. He’s absolutely sensational.”
Diaz arrived at Anfield in the January transfer window from Porto and has scored two goals since linking up with Klopp’s side.
One of those strikes came in the win over Brighton Saturday which saw the Reds again close the gap on their title rivals.
City face Crystal Palace on Monday night, though will have played a game more than Liverpool following the trip to Selhurst Park.
