Take Manchester City out of the equation – they cannot be counted, they are playing football at another level – and Liverpool have been the most impressive team in the Premier League this season, putting away difficult opponents with a certain panache which suggests the Jurgen Klopp era has well and truly arrived.
The Reds have won three matches out of five, and the impressive fact from those wins is that they have come against top four rivals Arsenal, Leicester City and Chelsea, while their only draw so far this campaign came away from home to Tottenham.
What will be a bit of a cause for worry, and will truly test Liverpool's title credentials this season, is the fact that their only loss came against Burnley, a side Klopp's team would have normally expect to beat.
Their sixth game is also against opposition they should be beating in Hull City and if Liverpool can raise their game against unfancied opposition or not will be seen at Anfield on Saturday. The feeling is that, when given room, as they are bound to against teams who also attack them and go for a win, Liverpool find it easier, but when the space is closed out and an opponent sits back and invites pressure, Klopp's team find it difficult to get their goalscoring boots working.
"I don't know, we are able to create chances against each team," Klopp told reporters when asked if Liverpool can be as potent against the "lesser" opposition. We did it [against Burnley], maybe we didn't score so we have to think why, and many people think we have big problems against – how you call it – bus-parking [teams].
"But I saw not a lot of space against Chelsea. I cannot remember a lot of space against Tottenham – they were with 10 men behind the ball when we had the ball. We are all involved in defending so that's how it is. We have to find solutions."
Solutions are what Mike Phelan has found since taking the interim manager's position at Hull City, who looked destined for the drop after a disastrous preseason, where they lost several key players to injury and witnessed their manager – Steve Bruce – step down.
While Phelan has still not taken up the permanent manager's offer that is on the table, there is no doubt that the former Manchester United assistant has made a major impact. After a strong start, Hull, however, have failed to pick up a win in their last three Premier League games and that is a run Phelan will want to end at Anfield.
"Saturday is another great challenge for us, but it's a great opportunity for us as well," Phelan said. "We've come a long way in a short space of time, through all of the trials and tribulations in preseason, and we go to Liverpool confident that we can put on a performance.
"There's no expectation on us on Saturday. It's about the players going out there and enjoying taking on a Liverpool team that looks fantastic at the moment. All of the ingredients are there for it to be a competitive football match. It's about how we perform because we can't do anything about how Liverpool prepare or set up."
Where to Watch Live
Liverpool vs Hull is scheduled for a 3pm BST (7.30pm IST, 10.30am ET) start. Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports select HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
USA: TV: NBCSN. Live Streaming: NBC live.
Australia: TV: Optus Sport. Live Streaming: Optus Online.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Middle East, Thailand and North Africa: Bein Sports Arabia 11. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Singapore: TV: Eleven Plus.
Malaysia: TV: Astro SuperSport.
