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The one thing you can say for certain is that, against Liverpool on Wednesday, Fulham are going to need more than defensive heading ability to claim a positive result. A lot more.

Rather than taking on what has become one of the most predictable teams in Manchester United, they are facing one of the most imaginative.

They are certainly taking on one of the most outrageously inventive players.

If Luis Suarez is still obviously a level or two below Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as a whole, and arguably not as ‘economic’ as Sergio Aguero or Robin van Persie in the Premier League, the Uruguayan certainly looks the globe’s most exciting player in terms of attempting the unexpected.

In doing so, he has also come to condition and thereby personify this Liverpool team. They are, at the minute, a joy to watch.

There have clearly been better sides over the last decade of the Premier League, and there are at least twobetter this season, but it’s difficult to think of too many with attacks that had just so many players capable of dribbling to such a high level at such a high speed. It makes for some devastating play, and devastating results.

For all the praise Manchester City have rightfully received this season, their failure to score in two consecutive games should put deserved focus on Liverpool’s play. Brendan Rodgers’s side have scored 63 goals in 25 games, making them the seventh most prolific team since 1945.

Even more importantly, of course, that return has translated into some resounding victories. The wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal were, along with Chelsea’s win at Manchester City and City’s over Arsenal, two of the season’s absolute standout performances.

There is also a deeper point here. Before the season began, when Liverpool’s entire progress under Rodgers looked in much more doubt, their main rivals for that fourth Champions League place were considered to be Spurs, Arsenal and Everton. The Reds have now not just beaten all three teams. They have utterly thrashed them, all while leaving many other teams in their slipstream.

Talk about a statement. On Saturday at Anfield, Liverpool stormed Arsenal. They were like a pack of wolves, ravenously pouncing every touch, forcing so many errors and breaks. It rendered all of the qualities of Arsene Wenger’s side irrelevant. In December, even before that, Liverpool simply blew Spurs away.

It should also be noted that, in two of those games - not to mention the early 1-0 win over Manchester United - the key first goal came from an orthodox set-piece. That gave Liverpool the platform to play as they wished, but also indicates impressive evolution from Rodgers.

It isn’t that long ago, after all, that he was accused of frustrating fundamentalism in terms of possession. It is even less time since Arsenal themselves completely outmanoeuvred Liverpool, in November’s win.

(Image: John Powell)

Rodgers has clearly learned, adjusted and improved. While the mere presence of Suarez - and the manner in which he occupies so many defenders - has probably made Liverpool look further along as a collective than they actually are, the clear input of manager should not be discounted.

None of those three games were simply a case of letting excellent attackers play, or expecting that possession would condition games. It was quite the opposite.

In the Everton and Arsenal games, in particular, Rodgers ceded possession and set the perfect trap. Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling absolutely revelled in the ample space from when they on the ball.

The approach has lifted Liverpool to an exciting new level. Taking the next step, and genuinely challenging for the title, will be about how Rodgers himself reacts to the next response.

It isn’t going to be too long until opposition sides realise that going at Liverpool in the manner Everton and Arsenal did is absolutely the wrong way to approach their attack.

The more Liverpool score, the more they’re going to inevitably encounter sides who sit back deep or try and figure out ways to frustrate them.

There was already a glimpse of it in Chelsea’s game with them. That will be telling.

Tonight, they will face a different kind of test. After Chelsea slipping up at West Brom, there is a genuine chance for Liverpool to properly force themselves into this title race.

It's hard not to see them dismantling Fulham, but now they must do it with something on the line; with that extra element of pressure. It's suddenly a big night for them.

How that plays out is difficult to predict - but not as much as Suarez’s exhilarating play.