Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the comfortable win over Tottenham at Anfield had sparked their season back into life.
The 2-0 win over their top-four rivals, achieved thanks to two Sadio Mane goals in three first-half minutes, was Liverpool's first in the Premier League since they beat Manchester City on New Year's Eve.
Such performances have been in short supply in 2017, but Klopp feels his players are back up and running -- even if their new-found momentum will be interrupted by a 16-day break before their next game at Leicester.
That period could become even longer if the game at the King Power is postponed in the event that Leicester need an FA Cup replay to get past Millwall.
"Now we are back in this race and we have to use this situation," Klopp said.
"Even though we didn't perform fantastically in January, we are still in a really good position in the league.
"Really it's not a shame [about the length of the break until the next league game]. I love football, but I have no problems with a few days where we can now really train.
"The boys will have a little bit of a rest and then we will start a preseason, that's how we understand it.
"We want to use the time, and hopefully everybody can see that it would make sense."
Liverpool are likely to go away for a warm-weather training camp and there will be some rest and recuperation after a hectic month that saw them play 10 matches in 32 days to the end of January.
However, Klopp will also work on how to ensure that his team do not suffer similar problems to the ones they have had in recent weeks to break down sides mainly intent on defending.
"I don't want to find excuses for the not-so-good games or whatever," the manager added.
"I know that it will come up before the Leicester game and everybody will ask: 'What will you do now against a counter-attacking team...deep defending?'
"It's not that we have no idea about it, but we need the boys in the best shape and then you need to make the right decisions on the pitch.
"It's not always about willing -- you cannot want with all you have, sometimes you have to wait a little bit and then you have to be still in the interesting positions."
Having Mane back to his best after missing most of January at the African Nations Cup will boost Liverpool, with the Senegal international now their leading scorer with 11 goals.
He told Liverpool's official website: "It was not easy in the last few weeks, but it's football and that can happen.
"More important is the reaction -- we did it and we're just going to try to keep going.
"The difference was the quick start. At 2-0 we stayed compact as a team and worked together.
"We're doing our best all the time on the pitch. We're going to take it game by game until the end of the season."