Liverpool closed the gap on the top four to just two points, following an impressive 2-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday.
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches, winning seven and drawing three, whilst the club have also broken a Premier League record in keeping five consecutive clean sheets on the road.
Brendan Rodgers side have turned it around in the last couple of months, following a dreadful start to the season which has had them playing catch up ever since.
A top four finish seems a realistic possibility now, whilst the Reds also have an FA Cup quarter final at home to Blackburn to look forward to, as well as a return to Istanbul to defend their 1-0 lead against Besiktas in the Europa League.
But could the Reds have enjoyed better of it had they not had to suffer at the hands of some poor refereeing decisions?
Here we have identified five refereeing howlers that have proved costly in various competitions for Liverpool this season.
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Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal 5 refereeing balls-ups that have cost Liverpool in 2014/15
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Liverpool v Chelsea – November 8
The opening few weeks of November proved to be the most testing time of the season for Liverpool, and perhaps in Brendan Rodgers’ career.
They were not helped by a poor refereeing decision in the home defeat to Chelsea however, when Anthony Taylor somehow failed to spot what appeared to be a clear handball by Gary Cahill to block Steven Gerrard’s shot.
With the game delicatley poised at 2-1 to Chelsea, and with just minutes remaining, failure to award the spot kick at the Kop end came as a major blow to the Reds at a difficult point in the season.
Liverpool v Basel – December 9
It would be hard to argue that Liverpool did enough to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League over their six group games, but the final match against Basel saw their hopes ruined by a poor piece of refereeing.
The Reds needed a win to reach the last 16, and trailed 1-0 with 15 minutes gone in the second half. Lazar Markovic was then shown a straight red card for making contact with a Basel defender’s face – with replays suggesting he may have brushed him with a fingernail but little more.
The red card came at a time when the Reds were well on top in the game, and the fact they went on to draw the game with 10 men suggested they may have had enough to nick it with 11 on the pitch.
Stranger still, the Serb has recieved a four match European ban for the incident.
Chelsea v Liverpool – January 27
With the recent Capital One Cup semi final against Chelsea so finely balanced, any key decision may well have proved decisive.
Liverpool will argue that Diego Costa – a player you could argue is Chelsea’s main man – should have been shown a straight red card within 16 minutes of the second leg at Stamford Bridge for a foul on Emre Can.
Referee Michael Oliver failed to spot the incident, and the subsequent three game ban that followed proves Chelsea would have been forced to play 74 minutes of the second leg of the semi final with 10 men if he had.
Chelsea v Liverpool – January 27
The battle between Diego Costa and Martin Skrtel was a feature of a pulsating semi final, and once again the Chelsea forward could count himself fortunate to remain on the field for the duration of it.
Having avoided a red card for his earlier stamp on Can, the Spaniard was at it again in the second half, this time choosing not to avoid the foot of Skrtel following a challenge in the penalty area.
Whilst Jose Mourinho insisted the second incident was entirely accidental, it falls into the category of ‘seen them given’, whilst Costa’s previous incidents make Mourinho’s comments hard to believe.
He remained on the pitch, and it was Chelsea who made it to Wembley after a 1-0 win in extra time.
Liverpool v Tottenham – February 10
This decision didn’t end up being as costly as it would have been, had Mario Balotelli not proved himself an unlikely hero with a late winner against Spurs this month.
But with the battle for the top four looking tighter than ever this season, goal difference may well prove a factor – and this balls-up could come back to haunt the Reds.
With Liverpool leading Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield, Phil Dowd awarded the visitors a free kick on the edge of the box, despite Steven Gerrard clearly winning the ball with a well timed slide tackle.
To compund that poor decision, Harry Kane turned the rebound from Christian Eriksen’s effort back across the goal for Mousa Dembele to bundle in, despite replays showing the Tottenham striker was clearly a yard offside when the ball was struck.
Balotelli ensured the incidents were almost forgotten about however, with his first Premier League goal in a red shirt.
