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The league table is taking on an eerily familiar look for Liverpool. The identity of the one team above them is typical, the gap a bittersweet reminder of brushes with greatness, of the unique achievement of taking first 97 and then 92 points in Premier League seasons without becoming champions in either. Manchester City are first, Liverpool second. There is one point between them, just as there was in the 2018-19 season and again in the 2021-22 campaign. Liverpool 2.0, Jurgen Klopp’s new-look side, find themselves in the precise position their predecessors twice finished. Perhaps they are fated to forever be on City’s shoulder, the Jan Ullrich to Pep Guardiola’s Lance Armstrong, the closest challengers to the serial champions. But victory at home to Brentford means they have fashioned another top-of-the-table showdown; the Etihad Stadium will host the top two on 25 November. It feels an early-season achievement for a revamped side. Their initial aim was to return to the top four, not title contention; beat City, though, and they will be top. Liverpool may be ahead of schedule. “It’s possible,” Klopp accepted. “I didn’t think about it but it feels good. It is only November. But it’s really important we have the same points as other teams.” In itself, it marks a difference from a year ago. After a dozen games then, Liverpool were 13 points behind City. As they have procured 11 points from losing positions already, there could be a similar gulf now. Klopp has found much to enjoy from a team in transition, the unknown quantity who may assume the recognisable role of City’s major rivals, their powers of recovery offering a metaphor for a broader project. “We have to keep going with all the other teams until maybe March or April and if you are still there, we can start talking,” Klopp reflected. It may be too easy to talk of a title decider, then, but he has proved that his teams can sustain form from winter into spring. “Until then, fight your way through the most difficult league in the world and be ready on Thursday and on Sunday and Thursday.” That readiness has been tested. “We didn’t play perfect football yet, not even close. But we fight our way through in moments and it is all fine,” Klopp said. Liverpool have conceded first in five league games and lost none of them. They have had four red cards, three of which Klopp believes were wrong. They lost their defensive midfield in the summer and had to rebuild an entire department of the team. But their only defeat came from an own goal in the 96th minute for their nine remaining men at Tottenham. Perhaps it was a sign of standards Klopp’s best teams have set that his verdict on Liverpool’s opening 12 games concentrated on the setbacks. “Football is strange,” he said. “If you would have asked me three days [ago, after losing against Toulouse] just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start. A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances, obviously didn’t feel great and I don’t know [about] the other games.” Perhaps they can be divided into two fairly obvious categories: home and away. Liverpool have an extraordinary record at Anfield under Klopp, with one loss in their last 48 home league games and just one in front of a crowd in six-and-a-half years. Now they have six wins from six, albeit with the caveat that only one of this season’s victims are in the top eight. Get as close to the maximum of 57 points at home – and they mustered 53 in 18/19 and 55 in their title-winning campaign of 19/20 – and it would underpin a title tilt. Their fixture list has been tougher on the road – and will get harder again at the Etihad – and dropping nine points indicates such games could prove their undoing. But the fight Klopp referenced and cherishes has been evident away from home. It may be where Liverpool’s most glaring shortcoming has threatened to be exposed: the absence of a specialist nullifier at the base of the midfield. They have the joint best defensive record, but it owes much to Alisson; only eight teams have benefited from more saves. This team is less solid than Klopp’s greatest side. But, as Brentford were dismissed 3-0, Virgil van Dijk again offered signs he is back to his commanding best. In Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have – at least as long as Kevin De Bruyne is sidelined – the outstanding passer in the Premier League. Their attack is sufficiently menacing that no one has had more shots. It is partly a product of Darwin Nunez’s inimitable threat, but also of Mohamed Salah’s continued brilliance. He has 10 goals and four assists already and a generous tribute from an impartial observer, the beaten Brentford manager, suggested the Egyptian could be decisive. “Off the top of my head, he is the best player in the league,” Thomas Frank said. “What a level. He must be one of the best offensive players in the world. Not top 10, top three.” All of which gives Liverpool a chance. So does their record against City: famously, no manager has beaten Guardiola more than Klopp and it seems impossible to dethrone the champions without defeating them at least once. And if the players change in these summit clashes, there will be the same sights on the touchlines. Guardiola and Klopp, separated by a few yards and a solitary point once more. A German thinker of a rather earlier era than Klopp, Karl Marx, argued that history repeated itself first as tragedy and then as farce. For Klopp and Guardiola, however, it may be repeating itself for a third time in an epic duel. Read More From Aguero winner to Keegan dismay, Chelsea-City joins Premier League classics Jurgen Klopp reignites early kick-off row ahead of Man City vs Liverpool clash Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Jurgen Klopp admits Trent Alexander-Arnold may be the middle man Liverpool need Jurgen Klopp reacts to release of Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father: ‘Really happy’ Jurgen Klopp reveals his ‘main issue’ after VAR denies Liverpool in Toulouse

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Conspiracy theorists have managed to go viral after spreading false claims that the devastating wildfires that have torn through the island of Maui in Hawaii were started by a 'space laser.' 93 people have died as a result of the fires making it the deadliest in modern US history and destroying most of the beautiful island's natural habitat. Yet, whenever the climate is related to a tragic story it doesn't take long for conspiracy theorists to try and spin the narrative to make others think what they are seeing isn't really about the state of the planet. One of the most farfetched theories doing the rounds in connection to the Hawaii fires is that they were caused by a space laser aimed at Maui, as noted by Forbes. A verified account on Elon Musk's X website, formerly known as Twitter, asked its followers: "This photo is circulating social media. Apparently, this beam was captured before the Hawaii fires. Can anyone confirm?" The post has been liked more than 6000 times and had more than 300 shares. The image does appear to show a beam of light hitting a leafy hillside next to a coast but it's not in Hawaii. In fact, it does have a connection to Elon Musk as the community note that has been added to the post declares that it is actually an image of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force base in California. This isn't the only laser-related image that has circulated about Hawaii either. Another Twitter account asked: "If the fires in Hawaii were natural, what in the h is this?" The picture showed a large explosion at night in a non-specific location which resulted in the tweet getting 19,000 likes and more than 500 shares. Once again, this was not in Hawaii at all but in Michigan in 2018, as fact-checked by Snopes. Finally, another account this time on TikTok has suggested that 'direct energy weapons' have been used on Hawaii with suggestions that it has been deployed by either the Chinese government or by the Joe Biden administration. @mrmclark the directed energy weapon is getting it's use this week In Hawaii I see!!! This is insane , we know they're doing it still nothing happened? #hawaii #fire #directedenergyweapons #military #attack #information #prophecy #truth Once again there is no evidence to suggest that the Maui fires were caused by the US or Chinese governments or were started by a giant laser beam from space. In fact, the fires were probably started by an 'abnormally dry' period for Maui in August making the area more prone to wildfires. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.