Liverpool ended a run of three straight home defeats by drawing 1-1 with Premier League leaders Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s men were beaten by Swansea in the league, by Southampton in the League Cup, and by Wolves in the FA Cup in the ten days leading up to the visit of Antonio Conte’s Blues, and it looked set to be four losses on the spin when David Luiz fired home a free-kick in the first half.

However, the Reds responded with a much-improved second half display, in which Georginio Wijnaldum headed home an equaliser to secure a point for the hosts, but they remain ten points behind Chelsea with just 15 games to go.

Nonetheless, it was a big point for Liverpool after a sluggish start to 2017, which has seen them win just one of their nine games since the turn of the year, and indeed bow out of both cup competitions.

Many felt that this wretched run of form would instigate some transfer activity from Klopp and co in a bid to bridge the gap between themselves and Chelsea, yet, despite being linked to many high-profile players, there were no incomings at Anfield last month.

So, with that in mind, here is the Liverpool FRONT FOUR that could have been had they sealed one key deal in January…

Roberto Firmino

Brazilian international Roberto Firmino has been reborn under Klopp since the German’s arrival at Anfield in October 2015.

25-year-old Firmino moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2015 under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers, but he didn’t net under the former Reds boss before he lost his job a few months later.

However, Firmino has been excellent under Klopp, and this season has seen him take it up another level by netting eight goals and laying on three assists in 22 Premier League starts.

Although he hasn’t quite been at his best in the last few weeks, he got a much-needed brace against Swansea on January 21, which could be the impetus he needed to get back to the level we saw in the opening few months of the campaign where, at times, he was sensational.

Sadio Mane

There is no doubt that Liverpool missed Sadio Mane while he was on African Cup of Nations duty with Senegal last month.

The 24-year-old joined up with his national team after netting in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland on January 2, and the Reds then won just one of their seven matches before his return in the draw with Chelsea on Tuesday.

However, it wasn’t just the results that emphasised Mane’s absence, it was the lack of goals, with Klopp’s men managing just five goals in those seven matches, although they remain the highest scorers in the Premier League this term with 52.

The Senegalese international scored nine goals and assisted four others in 19 Premier League starts prior to the African Cup of Nations, so Reds fans would have been delighted to see him back in the squad and come off the bench against the Blues on Tuesday.

Keeping him fit and fresh will be integral to what Liverpool hope to achieve this season.

Philippe Coutinho

Like Mane’s absence, Philippe Coutinho’s injury hit Liverpool hard at a time where they looked like taking the challenge to Chelsea.

The Brazilian international injured his ankle in the win over Sunderland back in November, and spent six weeks on the sidelines before returning in their League Cup first leg defeat at Southampton on January 11.

Since then, the 24-year-old has slowly been integrated back into the first team and, although he hasn’t hit his pre-injury form just yet, there are certainly signs that he’s not far away from doing so.

Coutinho scored five and assisted five others prior to injury, and getting this trio back on the field and firing like earlier in the season will be crucial if they are hoping to reel Chelsea in between now and May.

Inaki Williams

There were rumours of a potential move for Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams in the latter stages of the January window, although no move materialised.

And it’s not difficult to see why Klopp was keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.

The forward netted 13 goals in 37 appearances last term for the Spanish side, helping them to fifth place in La Liga as well as victory in the Supercopa de Espana over Barcelona.

Williams hasn’t been quite as prolific this time round, netting just four goals in all competition so far, but he’s added more creativity to his game by laying on five assists in La Liga, two of which have come in the last two games.

He’s clearly got huge potential but is also flourishing in the present, which has unsurprisingly seen many sides linked with the forward, including Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool.

However, it was to Liverpool where he was heavily linked, especially with Daniel Sturridge’s future uncertain, but with the English forward remaining at Anfield, they decided against moving for Williams, but don’t rule out a summer move for the Spaniard.