Liverpool have been top at Christmas FOUR times before and never won EPL title

Liverpool find themselves top of the Premier League at Christmas for the fifth time as they finally look to end their 30-year wait for the title.

Worryingly for Reds fans though, the last two times Liverpool have been top at Christmas - in 2018 and 2013 - they were pipped to the title by Manchester City, one of their main rivals again this time.

And though the gap is far wider this year than any previous time Liverpool have been top at Christmas, the omens do not look good with City's incredible run last season and Steven Gerrard's slip in 2014 still fresh in the memory.

The Liverpool failures are the only times this decade the team top at Christmas has not gone on to win the Premier League, with Chelsea (three times), Manchester United (twice), Manchester City (twice) and Leicester all converting festive leads into silverware.

Until this decade the trend had been in reverse, with teams top at Christmas more often than not failing to win the title.

Much of that was down to Sir Alex Ferguson's United teams getting in the habit of coming from behind in the second half of the season to win the title.

Norwich, Newcastle, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Leeds all found themselves top at Christmas in the 1990s only to be pipped by Fergie's United. The most famous of those came in 1995-96 when Kevin Keegan's Newcastle blew a 12-point lead and United won a third Premier League title.

In fact, just two of Ferguson's first 11 titles at United came after they were top at Christmas, with Arsenal and Liverpool also being caught in 2008 and 2009.

Arsenal did to United in 1998 and 2004 what they had got used to doing to others, coming from behind at the halfway stage to win the title. And the Gunners' other Premier League triumph also saw them come from the pack in 2002, with Newcastle again the victims.

Both of Jose Mourinho's title wins with Chelsea in the 2000s came after leading the way at Christmas, as did his third title in 2015 and their triumphs under Ancelotti in 2010 and Conte in 2017.

In total, 14 times in 27 seasons the team top at Christmas has gone on to win the title, so almost exactly 50-50.

Liverpool's record though makes for grim reading though, converting zero from four when top at Christmas.

Surely this time Jurgen Klopp's side will buck the trend.