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It's almost one year to the day since Sadio Mane fired Liverpool to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield - an individual performance of the highest calibre.

The Senegalese forward bagged a first-half brace in the space of 138 seconds to place the Reds on their way to glory, continuing his blistering start to life on Merseyside.

Last season, Mane made 27 league appearances; contributing an impressive 13 goals and six assists in the process. However, this time around it has been a different story, the 25-year-old struggling generally to replicate his best form.

Mane began the 2017/18 season in style, scoring a goal in each of the first three league games against Watford, Crystal Palace and Arsenal.

The match following this was Liverpool's harrowing 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City, in which Mane was shown a straight red card for his high challenge on City keeper Ederson.

His absence proved to be pivotal in respect of how the encounter panned out. Pep Guardiola's men were contesting a fairly tight match with the Reds up until the dismissal, though from this moment onwards they were able to up the ante and wreak havoc.

Later, Mane would then be sidelined for three weeks having sustained an injury while on international duty. He made an impressive return against West Ham in November, but his start to the season was disrupted.

Two fine left-foot finishes against Burnley and Man City recently offered a reminder that his talent remains ever-present. The task facing Klopp and Mane, though, is trying to rekindle the form of the tenacious and relentless figure that fans became accustomed to last term.

Despite not being at his brilliant best, pressure to deliver this season was somewhat eased following the club's (at the time) record-breaking £36.9m acquisition of Mohamed Salah in the summer.

The Egyptian helped to form the 'fab four' alongside Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho.

During their short spell in operation together, they struck fear into any defence standing in their way.

The four-piece band that were hitting all the right notes together, of course, lost arguably its star member in Coutinho last month, Barcelona paying £142 million to lure him to Camp Nou.

Now that the former Inter Milan midfielder is no longer a Red, many argue that Mane must now assume responsibility once more and fill the void.

He was the club's record buy when joining from Southampton in 2016 and, as was the case with Salah, was ridiculed before he even put on the famous red shirt.

The £34 million sum paid for his services was laughed at and labelled ludicrous. However, the former Southampton man swiftly put to bed people's original misjudgments.

Last year Klopp's men sealed their long-awaited return to Europe’s elite as a fourth placed finish ensured Champions League football, and it was Mane who moved Liverpool back into the limelight with his scintillating showings.

He swiftly established himself as a Kop favourite, illustrated by his "Oh Mane. Mane!" chant, which like the jet-heeled winger, enjoyed a sharp rise to prominence.

Attention now turns to this weekend's crunch fixture; it's a must-win for the Reds. Although these games of the highest magnitude place huge amounts of pressure on the players to perform; this is often a situation in which Liverpool thrive.

Since Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manager in October 2015, the Merseysiders have collected more points in fixtures against the 'top six' than any other side - 42, compared to Chelsea and Tottenham (33), Manchester City (30), Manchester United (29) and Arsenal (22).

Liverpool will fancy their chances, and rightly so.

This game should open our eyes to how the top-four race may unfold. It could also tell us whether or not Mane really is on his way to the dizzy heights of last season, or if his struggles are continuing.