Sadio Mane cycloned into Carrow Road ensuring neither Storm Dennis nor a spirited Norwich City could thwart Liverpool stretching their lead at the Premier League summit to 25 points.
The player of the season contender returned from a hamstring injury to produce an electric cameo and the decisive moment of Saturday’s encounter after 78 minutes.
Liverpool have now triumphed in 34 of their last 35 top-flight fixtures, winning each of the last 17 in a row.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have not been breached in 10 of their last 11 as an exceptional crusade to land a first league title in three decades shows zero signs of abating despite their unparalleled cushion at the top.
This was a match to manoeuvre through rather than deliver a masterpiece given the conditions.
1/22 Tim Krul – 7
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2/22 Max Aarons – 7
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3/22 Christoph Zimmermann – 7
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4/22 Grant Hanley – 7
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5/22 Sam Byram – N/A
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6/22 Alexander Tettey – 7
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7/22 Kenny McLean – 6
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8/22 Ondrej Duda – 5
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9/22 Lukas Rupp – 5
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10/22 Todd Cantwell – 7
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11/22 Teemu Pukku – 6
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12/22 Alisson – 7
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13/22 Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
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14/22 Joe Gomez – 6
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15/22 Virgil van Dijk – 7
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16/22 Andrew Robertson – 7
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17/22 Naby Keita – 7
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18/22 Jordan Henderson – 7
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19/22 Georginio Wijnaldum – 6
EPA
20/22 Mohamend Salah – 5
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21/22 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
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22/22 Roberto Firmino – 6
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1/22 Tim Krul – 7
Action Images via Reuters
2/22 Max Aarons – 7
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3/22 Christoph Zimmermann – 7
REUTERS
4/22 Grant Hanley – 7
AP
5/22 Sam Byram – N/A
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6/22 Alexander Tettey – 7
AP
7/22 Kenny McLean – 6
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8/22 Ondrej Duda – 5
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9/22 Lukas Rupp – 5
AP
10/22 Todd Cantwell – 7
AP
11/22 Teemu Pukku – 6
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
12/22 Alisson – 7
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13/22 Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
14/22 Joe Gomez – 6
REUTERS
15/22 Virgil van Dijk – 7
AP
16/22 Andrew Robertson – 7
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17/22 Naby Keita – 7
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18/22 Jordan Henderson – 7
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19/22 Georginio Wijnaldum – 6
EPA
20/22 Mohamend Salah – 5
AP
21/22 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
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22/22 Roberto Firmino – 6
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Liverpool kicked off this wind-wrecked affair after the mid-season break having won as many points – 18 – in 2020 as Norwich have managed all season.
That is the kind of stat that coloured Daniel Farke’s pre-match description of the game as a “free shot” for his charges, who are at the opposite end of the table. “We have to be realistic,” he said. “We’re playing the best team in the world and top sides haven’t been able to take points off them.
“The floodlights are on, it’s a home game, everyone should enjoy it. We will go out brave and try to be ourselves.”
Norwich followed the script to supply a determined first half and while they didn’t produce a shot in the opening 45, they restricted Liverpool to just one on target and carved out the finest opportunity.
Lukas Rupp pulled down a long pass and initially set himself to round Alisson. The goalkeeper’s sharp anticipation and reaction in closing the German down led to him trying to play in Teemu Pukki instead. Liverpool’s goalkeeper kept his composure, followed the ball and got a big hand to it, averting the danger.
It was a crucial intervention at an important juncture, the kind the Brazil international has made habitual while establishing himself as the best in his position in the world.
As expected, the Merseysiders upped the ante after the interval and it was Tim Krul’s turn to showcase top-shelf work between the sticks.
In a matter of seconds, Norwich’s No 1 first tipped away Naby Keita’s rising shot before parrying Mohamed Salah’s wicked turn and hit towards the bottom left. Keita rushed onto the loose ball but failed to connect properly as Krul quickly smothered the danger.
Klopp introduced Mane and Fabinho into the fold to enliven Liverpool’s play at the expense of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gini Wijnaldum. As the visitors pushed for the opener, Norwich were gifted chances to counter and Alexander Tettey’s angled effort cannoned off the post.
With the minutes running out and the match ultimately distilling into attack versus attack, there was to be one winner.
Mane injected greater intensity and urgency to Liverpool’s approach and reprised his role as a gamechanger. The Senegal international applying a wonderful touch to control Jordan Henderson’s long ball, swivelling and then slamming a shot into the bottom left corner.
There was a VAR check to discern whether the forward impeded Christoph Zimmermann in the build-up with a hand on his back, but the contact was slight.
Alisson saved from Pukki late on as Liverpool made it 43 league matches unbeaten, leaving them just six behind the record of Arsenal’s Invincibles in 2003-04.
