They could well lose that lead tomorrow when Chelsea play at Aston Villa, but manager Rafa Benitez knows that his side's unbeaten start to the season is creating quite a stir.
Benitez said: "In the first half we played really well, we found space, passed well and had some excellent movement.
"I was pleased with all the goals, but Ryan Babel's was probably the best. But it was good to see Fernando Torres keep scoring, while Xabi Alonso could have had a hat-trick.
"When (Andriy) Voronin came on he fitted straight into the play and also scored. I just wanted to see Dirk Kuyt score because he had done so much running and created a lot of space for other players.
"It was good to score four and then six in front of our own fans this week."