Arne Slot feels the power of Anfield as Liverpool begin to eye up a ...

‘Liverpool, Liverpool, top the league,’ was the booming chant from the Kop. Arne Slot responded with a clenched fist in their direction.

The Dutch coach has enjoyed some exhilarating moments since succeeding Jurgen Klopp. He’s already tasted glory at Old Trafford and San Siro. He’s watched his side defeat Chelsea at home and rally to secure a precious point at Arsenal.

But this victory over Brighton felt different. This was the first time he truly felt the power of Anfield.

For 45 minutes, Slot’s Liverpool were appalling. Their lifeless, disjointed, error-strewn first-half performance was devoid of any redeeming qualities. The loss of Ibrahima Konate after his left arm was accidentally trodden on by captain Virgil van Dijk was the cherry on the top of a tasteless cake.

The only saving grace at the break was that Brighton had somehow failed to add to Ferdi Kadioglu’s sweetly-struck opener. “We didn’t show up at all in the first half. We were not there,” admitted Slot.

The sense of collective angst in the stands was unmistakeable. Arsenal had been beaten at Newcastle and Manchester City were lurching towards a shock defeat at Bournemouth. There was a growing threat that a golden opportunity to take advantage was going to be carelessly squandered.

But then came the transformation. Both on and off the pitch, Liverpool were a different beast in the second half.

Slot’s players triggered it with more urgency, playing with greater tempo and intensity as they cranked up the pressure. Their supporters responded by providing the soundtrack. This was Anfield at its spiky, belligerent best — inspiring and intimidating in equal measure.

Cody Gakpo restored parity and then Mohamed Salah unleashed a thunderbolt beyond Bart Verbruggen – the Egyptian’s 48th match-winning goal in the Premier League.

“I had only experienced the atmosphere on TV before and now I have experienced it in person,” Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said. “It was loud, a great atmosphere, wild, but you have to stay calm and continue playing out from the back. We couldn’t find solutions and the dominance of Liverpool grew bigger.”

Having won 48 per cent of duels before the interval, Liverpool won 70 per cent of them in the second half.

“We changed a bit tactically but that had nothing to do with us coming out stronger,” Slot said. “It was all to do with our players showing a different attitude and a different intensity.

“When things go against you, you have to show up. Winners always do. Fortunately, we have a lot of winners in our team. The crowd were incredible in the second half. That’s the loudest since I’ve been here.”

It was five years to the day since Liverpool clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory at Villa Park thanks to late goals from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane to preserve a six-point lead at the top. That proved to be a pivotal triumph en route t0 ending the club’s 30-year title drought.

Only time will tell the true significance of Saturday’s events, but there were obvious parallels as Liverpool dug themselves out of a hole in thrilling fashion.

Few expected Slot to oversee a title challenge this season. Common sense suggested it would be a period of transition post-Klopp with a top-four finish the priority, but the conversation has shifted. Expectations are being exceeded.

There Liverpool sit at the Premier League summit, two points clear of City and seven ahead of Arsenal. Slot has won 13 of his 15 matches in charge — the handover wasn’t even this seamless when Bill Shankly passed the baton on to Bob Paisley half a century ago.

Slot’s impact since arriving from Feyenoord has been remarkable — so understated, so impressive. So much of what he has touched so far has turned to gold.

Players who lost their way when Klopp’s final season in charge unravelled in the spring have been re-energised. Slot did himself a disservice by putting Liverpo0l’s second-half fightback down to a change in the players’ mindset.

His changes also made a huge difference. Joe Gomez, who didn’t even make the bench at Ipswich on the opening weekend, was outstanding after getting the nod ahead of Jarell Quansah to replace the injured Konate. Those on the fringes keep on stepping up when called upon and that’s testament to the environment Slot has created.

He went for broke when he brought on Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. It was effectively a four-pronged attack and within six minutes of that double substitution Liverpool had gone from 1-0 down to 2-1 up.

Once in front, Slot responded by replacing Darwin Nunez with Wataru Endo — a smart move designed to ensure the hosts protected their slender lead. Job done.

“In the second half I don’t think anyone deserved to be taken out. In the first half they almost all deserved to be taken out,” Slot stated matter of factly.

This season’s title race was billed as a straight shootout between City and Arsenal. But as they both stumble unexpectedly, the door has opened for Liverpool. Can they run through it?

There’s a long way to go and they will need some fortune with injuries, but the fact that they have showcased the ability to both win with a swagger and grind it out when not at their best certainly bodes well.  This squad came close last season before falling away and will be better for that experience.

There’s certainly no danger of Slot, who became the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his first 10 top-flight matches in charge, getting carried away. He remained calm and composed amid the Anfield din.

“What I like over the past week is that we went behind in two games (against Arsenal and Brighton), but each time we managed to fight our way back into it,” Slot added.

“This is the kind of win you need in a season if you want to be competitive. You can’t always be the best team on the pitch from the first to the last second.

“But I also told the players after the game that the 45 minutes of football we played in the first half, in the end you will get punished for playing like that somewhere.”

The room for improvement is clear but what a position to be in. The belief generated by a day like Saturday can turbo-charge a campaign.

(Header photo: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

James Pearce joins the Athletic after 14 years working for the Liverpool Echo. The dad-of-two has spent the past decade covering the fortunes of Liverpool FC across the globe to give fans the inside track on the Reds from the dressing room to the boardroom. Follow James on Twitter @JamesPearceLFC