THESE Reds are relentless.

Liverpool have the winning habit, stringing them together to maintain their impressive five point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Norwich, Southampton, Arsenal, Burnley, Newcastle and now Chelsea have all been taken care of.

Chelsea are big fish, a mighty catch for a club with bringing home their first league title since 1990.

They are on the way, hurtling towards the trophy lift next May after stunning goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino.

This is a significant win for Liverpool, another message to Manchester City that they want that elusive piece of silverware.

Even when N’Golo Kante scored with a solo goal 71 minutes in, Liverpool regained their composure to see the game out.

Chelsea is a way-point, another marker for Jurgen Klopp’s players as they prepare for the winter months.

The fixture throws up memories of some of the old battles, the sort of contests that could curdle milk.

John Terry marking Fernando Torres, Frank versus Stevie G, Jamie Carragher rattling the bones of Didier Drogba.

This was a bit of a mis-match.

Liverpool are a clever team, refining their system and adding some cute, clever little additions to their game.

Twice they wrong-footed Chelsea’s defence from set-pieces, sending them swaying one way to open up the gaps for TAA and then Firmino to score.

To fall for it once is bad enough, but to allow Liverpool to send them out of the stadium a second time is unforgivable.

So were the two challenges that led to the free-kicks because Andreas Christensen (on Mane) and Cesar Azpilicueta (Georginio Wiljnadum) were lured into Liverpool’s trap.

The first was a proper zinger, confidently belted beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga by Alexander-Arnold when Mo Salah rolled his studs across the ball.

Alexander-Arnold, who had an outstanding game at either end, beat Chelsea’s keeper with power, pace and precision.

Klopp loves it when a plan comes together, repeatedly pumping his fists to celebrate yet another training ground success.

Alexander-Arnold is full of innovation, with his moment of inspiration against Barcelona from a corner in last season’s Champions League semi-final proving decisive.

This time the goal had his name on it, putting the league leaders in front after just 14 minutes.

Chelsea re-organised, forced into a change when Emerson was replaced by Marcos Alonso from the kick-off.

When Lampard watches the tape back, to wonder whether he will ever get a home win, he will wear out two key moments.

One of them was after 24 minutes, when Tammy Abraham was sent clean through by Azpi.

He has seven goals in the Premier League, against Norwich, Sheffield United and Wolves, but Liverpool are a few grades up.

Adrian came rushing out to meet him, foiling the Chelsea striker at the point when he pulled the trigger.

Three minutes later the place erupted – twice – when Azpi thought he had scored Chelsea’s equaliser with a tap in,

It turned out Mason Mount was a miniscule offside down the left, with VAR intervening to guarantee yet another forensic analysis of the technology.

Mount had strayed offside and whether it was by a centimetre or a metre, this is the correct call, no matter how frustrating it is for Frank and the boys.

The sport is still coming to terms with it and so too were Chelsea’s players in the minutes after it had been ruled out.

Azpilicueta gave away the foul that led to Alexander-Arnold sending Chelsea’s defence into another trance.

Andy Robertson, who delisted his twitter account on Wednesday after a pummelling from Liverpool fans after the defeat at Napoli, sent in an inviting cross.

Firmino, rising far too easily above Alonso, steered a header beyond Kepa to make it 2-0.

Robertson, credited with another trademark assist, can safely return to social media now.

Chelsea players, still searching for their first home win under Lampard, would be best staying off it for a while.

When they needed to play at full throttle, with the Bridge demanding a way back into the game, they found a way back into it.

N’Golo Kante scored it after 70 minutes, twisting and turning outside the area until he could finally get a shot away.

It beat Adrian, rippling against the nylon netting in the back of the Liverpool keeper’s goal.

They needed another, one final chance to stop Liverpool carting off three more points.

It never came, despite the bustling arrival of Michy Batshuayi 13 minutes from time.

He was a presence, another figure in the Chelsea forward line as they tried desperately to find an equaliser.

Batshuayi sent one chance wide and then Mount clipped an effort over the bar after 90 minutes.

By then it was all about survival for Liverpool, hanging on to their precious lead in those final seconds.

To do it, to keep their lead intact, is the mark of a top team.

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