Steve McManaman has shot back at Liverpool’s critics by making a pertinent point about the Reds this season.

Our closest pursuers Arsenal are paying the price for having most of their forwards out injured, failing to score against either West Ham or Nottignham Forest over the past week and duly dropping 13 points behind the Premier League leaders.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s title defence has crumbled in the absence of Rodri, who’s been out since September with an ACL injury. The champions have also been without Erling Haaland in recent games, although he returned on Wednesday night to score their winner away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking on TNT Sports after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Newcastle, McManaman insisted that the Reds’ relatively kind fortunes in comparison to last season’s top two owe much more to the work of lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters than mere luck.

The ex-LFC winger proclaimed: “People say they’re fortunate about injuries. To a certain extent they are, but Arne Slot brought a sport scientist with him who he trusts implicitly, and he’s done a wonderful job, so it’s not luck.