After an impressive 7-0 victory in the away fixture two weeks ago, Wednesday night's 3-0 success over the Slovenians at Anfield keeps Jurgen Klopp's men at the top of Group E. Victory over Sevilla in their next game would clinch qualification to the knock out stages with a game to spare. Even if they come up short in Spain, a home win over Spartak Moscow would be enough to see them through.

It's been an encouraging week for Liverpool so far. Following their meek capitulation at Tottenham a fortnight ago, the Merseysiders had to show a response and they have done just that. Huddersfield Town were dispatched with relative ease on Saturday, as Liverpool overcame a lacklustre opening 45 minutes to run away with it in the second half.

A goal shortly after half-time set them on their way that day and it was a similar story on Wednesday night. Both fixtures saw Liverpool toil for little reward in the first half only to turn on the style after a half-time pep talk from Klopp. They even had the luxury of missing penalties in both games. If you're going to miss, better to do so in games like this than when the points are on the line, but Klopp will need to settle on a regular, reliable penalty taker as this can't continue.

Liverpool should take heart from the routine nature of both victories. Beating Huddersfield and Maribor might not be reason to shout from the rooftops, but progress has undoubtedly been made this week.

Liverpool's biggest Achilles heel for longer than anyone cares to remember has been an inability to beat the lesser sides. More specifically, an inability to beat teams who pack their defence and set up to frustrate.

Well this week, two such teams came to Anfield with the sole intention of defending deep and hoping for the best. Both were beaten 3-0 without any real drama or fuss. That's progress.

Let's not forget either that Klopp was without his two best attacking players for both games. The German will surely be delighted to see his side overcome such stubborn, defensive opponents without the guile, thrust and magic normally provided by Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho.

With their first-choice attacking lineup available Liverpool will fancy their chances against anybody, but take Mane and Coutinho away -- not forgetting Adam Lallana too who is yet to kick a ball this season -- and that's difficult for any side to overcome. The last two games Liverpool have overcome it though, and with all three on the way back to fitness Liverpool may only have to cope without their star trio for one more fixture; a trip to West Ham on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah found the net once more in midweek and continues to chip in with regular goals, despite also continuing to miss a host of straightforward chances seemingly every week. In the last two games alone he's missed a penalty and a wide-open header from six yards. Despite this profligacy, the Egyptian has converted enough chances to reach double figures already. He's been a revelation and Liverpool would be in big trouble without the contributions he's made.

James Milner's recent return to the midfield has helped too. He brings experience and calmness to the side, having seen and done it all during his long career. He covered more ground than any other player in the Premier League last weekend, but it's not just the distance he covers, it's the intelligence of his runs and his pressing of the opposition that makes Milner so valuable. Liverpool have missed that in the absence of Adam Lallana, but Milner has filled in admirably since being recalled to the side.

The two clean sheets will have been most welcome too. Neither Huddersfield nor Maribor showed any interest in crossing the halfway line and over the two games Liverpool's goalkeepers only had to make one save. So their suspect defence wasn't exactly tested but two shutouts should help boost the confidence of a much criticised unit nonetheless.

The consecutive clean sheets do not mean the defensive problems have been solved of course, but supporters will feel that it's nice to have a week where nobody has been talking about them. Liverpool's defensive record at home is actually outstanding, it's on their travels where their weaknesses have been exposed. In that regard, this weekend's trip to struggling West Ham will be a much bigger test than either Huddersfield or Maribor posed.

Overall, it's been a stuttering start to the season for Liverpool but this week has been a small step in the right direction. If they can round it off with three points on Saturday that would send the Reds into the international break in good spirits and set them up nicely for a massive couple of months leading up to the New Year.