Liverpool went four points clear at the top of the Premier League as they handed out a merciless thrashing to Tottenham Hotspur in front of their own fans.

Arne Slot's pacesetters were simply irresistible as every frailty in an injury-hit Spurs team was ruthlessly exposed.

Liverpool had already had several opportunities before Luis Diaz headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold's perfect cross after 23 minutes, Alexis Mac Allister doubling their lead with another header 13 minutes later.

James Maddison gave Spurs hope of an unlikely comeback when he curled in his eighth goal of the season four minutes before half-time but that was snuffed out in first-half stoppage time when Mohamed Salah set up Dominik Szoboszlai for a simple finish.

Spurs, with a lengthy list of absentees and fielding an unchanged team having played a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on Thursday, looked leg-weary, leaving them wide open to further punishment from this smooth Liverpool machine.

Salah drew level with Billy Liddell's record of 228 Liverpool goals when he extended Liverpool's advantage from close range after 54 minutes, then went into fourth place in the club's all-time list of scorers on his own when Szoboszlai repaid the first-half compliment to play the Egyptian in for his second.

Dejan Kulusevski scored for the fifth successive game with 18 minutes left, while another from Dominic Solanke threatened to give the scoreline an unrealistic appearance until Diaz swooped for his second and Liverpool's sixth.