As a smattering of Everton fans trickled out of Goodison Park simply 20 mins into Wednesday night time's Merseyside derby, Liverpool's 2-0 lead seemed like the foreword to a historic humbling.
Yet, by using the quit of a woefully one-sided four-1 trampling, the file books most effective had to flicked returned to the mid-1980s to discover a commensurate away win for the Reds at Goodison Park.
Barely a minute from kickoff Liverpool already had the pessimistic Everton trustworthy drawing a sharp consumption of breath. Joel Matip sauntered into criminal isolation in the penalty area however flicked Trent Alexander-Arnold's nook narrowly beyond the publish.
A matter of seconds later Andros Townsend become unexpectedly familiar with the blistering depth of Everton's site visitors. The winger's limp pass turned into snaffled up by Diogo Jota, permitting him to whip in a fierce move that Mohamed Salah awkwardly volleyed wide.
Jordan Henderson finally broke the impasse, sweetly curling inside the first of Liverpool's four that took their tally to a scarcely believable 43 league goals for the season already. Seven teams couldn't match that total within the entirety of the 2020/21 marketing campaign. Liverpool themselves most effective scored forty two times in a forty two-sport 1971/72 season that saw them finish 5th.
Europe's maximum prolific aspect can (and make a point of making sure that they do) strike from any angle. In stark evaluation to the important thing-hole precision of Henderson's opener, Salah swept down the pitch like a knife through butter for Liverpool's 2nd and 0.33.
Steaming into Everton's half unobstructed for each dreams, Salah benefitted from what Jurgen Klopp has previously defined as 'the first-class playmaker' - a properly-oiled press.
Having regained the 'aggression' Klopp demands of his sides after a reality-check of a three-2 defeat away to West Ham on the start of November, Liverpool have been firing on all cylinders off the ball as an awful lot as on it of past due.
A combination of Jota and Thiago Alcantara swarmed the skittish Ben Godfrey wading out of Everton's half of inside the establishing 20 mins, shovelling the ball to Henderson who sprang Salah clear.
Supposedly the world's seventh-first-rate participant (he's honestly pinnacle 3) took matters into his personal hands, or boots - or as an alternative, out of Seamus Coleman's control - for Liverpool's third. Pouncing upon a unfastened touch in the centre circle, Salah burst clean of the Everton skipper before rolling his shot tantalisingly out of Pickford's reach.
