There can be only one discussion point for this week's Talking Reds - the 5-1 win over Arsenal. Kate Cohen reflects...

By the 16th minute of Liverpool's demolition of Arsenal, when Raheem Sterling put Liverpool 3-0 ahead, I looked at the screen in bemusement. It had just passed midnight in Australia and it had been a difficult day.

All out chaos had engulfed my local club, Sydney FC, fans protested with a tifo, there was a mass exodus from the active support after the tifo was removed by security, the manager received a beer shower from a disgruntled fan and social media lit up with videos, photos and rumours. To make matters worse, they lost 3-0.

By the time Liverpool's match finally arrived, I was tired, frustrated and pessimistic about our chances against the league leaders - the league leaders who had not lost at Anfield in seven years.

How wrong was I?

What followed was perhaps the best half of football I have witnessed as the Reds demolished a side who had been the pace-setters for much of the season. The 5-1 scoreline validated what has been the case for much of a season where Liverpool have made Anfield a fortress.

At home, Liverpool have been scoring goals for fun - putting three past Premier League newbies Cardiff and Crystal Palace, four past West Brom, Fulham, West Ham and Everton and, incredibly, five past both Norwich and Arsenal. That confidence in front of goal has resulted in 11 wins and one draw from the 13 matches at Anfield and the incredible form is bettered only by new league leaders Chelsea, who have accumulated one more point so far at home.

Extraordinarily, more than two thirds of Liverpool's points have come at home (34 from 50 points) and manager Brendan Rodgers has put the enticing form down to more maturity when dealing with expectations.

"We love playing [at Anfield]," said Rodgers. "I think the big change I look at now, 18 months on, is we are dealing with the expectancy much better. When I came in here we were expected to win but maybe the pressure of that sometimes was too much. Now we genuinely go into a game expecting to win - no matter who we are playing against home or away. We are dealing with that pressure much better. We've still got areas to work on but we are controlling games much better and we have that goalscoring threat."

But as the finishing line of the season nears, and Liverpool enter the home straight with a three-point buffer in fourth, the pressure will only increase. In the remaining six home matches, Liverpool face Swansea City, Sunderland, Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle.

It is a daunting fixture list, yet after the demolition of Arsenal, Liverpool fans can feel somewhat optimistic about the chances of securing a top-four place. Should we match the incredible home form of 2.62 points per game, Champions League football is in our hands.

The foundations for fortress Anfield have been set, but the final six matches will play a major role in determining whether Liverpool play Champions League football next season. If the Reds can play with the verve and confidence of Saturday then that goal looks achievable.