Even for those whose glass of festive cheer is half empty, this was as close to an ideal Boxing Night as it could get for Liverpool.

There will be some who might bemoan a lack of cutting edge in the yawning gap between the goals at either end of the game from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, but there can't be anyone who will find real fault with this performance against Burnley when they survey the Premier League table on December 27.

For a campaign that is throwing up a number of talking points, injury issues and other problems, that it is the Reds' name in first place at the midway stage is hugely encouraging for a team who are a few steps ahead of their anticipated development given the flux it found itself in back in the summer when so much changed across the playing and backroom staff.

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A 2-0 win here takes Liverpool above Arsenal and means fans can sit back with intrigue now as Manchester City return to Premier League action with a tricky visit to an in-form Everton on Wednesday before the Gunners entertain West Ham 24 hours later. Those fixtures have just got a bit tougher for the Reds' title rivals.

The positives were plentiful. The sight of Nunez ending his scoreless run was perhaps just edged out by his replacement Jota slamming home the vital second after a month out with a hamstring complaint. How he has been missed.

It’s ideal timing for both players too given Mohamed Salah will be AFCON-bound with Egypt after the visit from Newcastle on New Year’s Day. Both will need to shoulder the burden in his absence if this title tilt is to remain on course. Much rests on their ability to now step up.

Jarell Quansah took another sizable step forward in his own development alongside Virgil van Dijk. The young centre-back was flawless and is beginning to look every inch like a long-term prospect in the centre-back department at Anfield. His appearance allowed Ibrahima Konate the opportunity to rest up with Newcastle United to come on January 1 too.

Captain Van Dijk was similarly excellent alongside Quansah as Liverpool kept a clean sheet to maintain their status as the team with the best defensive record in the division, alongside Arsenal who have played a game less. And the small matter of going top of the table here was the biggest positive of the lot on a night when it was easy to find them.

Nunez picked a great time to score his first goal since early November when he confidently side-footed past an overworked James Trafford early on from about 20 yards. The Uruguay frontman ended a 12-game barren run inside six minutes to set the tone for what would follow in terms of the visitors peppering their hosts' goal with shots.

It’s now five for the season for Nunez in the Premier League and while the volume of the numbers will need to increase, there can be little doubting the importance of them. His strikes against Newcastle, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and now Burnley have all been integral to the 12 points earned during those fixtures.

After the opener, Trafford made saves from Salah, Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo while Cody Gakpo had a goal ruled out for what was eventually judged to have been a foul on Charlie Taylor by Nunez. It looked a harsh one as Liverpool's deserved second was chalked off and the sight of Taylor immediately throwing his head into his hands after Gakpo's finish was a sign that even the Burnley defender felt he had made a mistake with the clearance rather than being fouled.

The video referees were busy once more in the second half when Harvey Elliott smartly converted Ryan Gravenberch's cut-back before the hour mark. Once again, VAR intervened with Salah this time judged to be in the way of Trafford before the ball hit the net, even though the Egyptian had a point about being shoved into an offside position by the Clarets defence. Referee Paul Tierney checked with the pitch-side monitor and the inevitable came to pass.

VAR humbug, indeed. The sight of Tierney being booed by the smattering of Liverpool fans who had congregated at the exit after the game summed up their feelings perfectly. That disallowed goal was the cue for Liverpool's performance to dip as composure and clarity deserted them and substitute Dominik Szoboszlai missed a gilt-edged chance to wrap it up.

Having not featured for over a month, it was probably not in the plan to use Jota but the goal-poacher supreme was summoned with around 10 minutes remaining as Liverpool continued to huff and puff to little avail in search of the decisive second. The former Wolves man only needed one chance and he took it with aplomb, firing a left-footed effort through the legs of the goalkeeper to ensure the points were heading back to Merseyside.

The final whistle confirmed Liverpool's place at the summit and a familiar refrain rang out from the away end after they had stopped serenading the individual performers including Nunez, Jota and Van Dijk. "Liverpool, top of the league. Liverpool, Liverpool top of the league."

It was a ditty that went on long into the Lancahsire night. Over to you, City and Arsenal.