Liverpool maintained their grip on top spot with a comfortable win over Watford.
Sadio Mane put Jurgen Klopp’s side in front with barely 10 minutes on the clock as he rose to head a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross beyond Ben Foster.
The Reds forward found himself on the score sheet again with a clever back-heel over the head of the Hornets stopper from another Alexander-Arnold delivery.
After the break, Divock Origi further extended the Premier League leaders’ advantage with a low-driven shot from inside the penalty area.
A fourth followed in the 80th minute when Alexander-Arnold completed a hat-trick of assists as his free kick was headed home by Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk rounded off the rout and doubled his own tally just a matter of minutes later with the Dutchman firing another header from an Andy Robertson ball.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
TAA returns as Reds’ master craftsman
More than defensive diligence was lost during Trent Alexander-Arnold’s absence.
James Milner and Jordan Henderson could never even attempt to hold a candle to Liverpool’s homegrown right-back in their respective spells as makeshift.
A first full Premier League outing since returning from injury was a classic case in point as the 20-year-old scooped a hat-trick of assists in this 5-0 demolition.
Every delivery that Alexander-Arnold floated into the Watford penalty area seemed to culminate in Jurgen Klopp’s side racking up more and more goals.
Becoming the league’s youngest-ever player to record three assists in a single game is a mere footnote on what was a stellar return for the master craftsman.
Front three still flying without Firmino
Liverpool’s front three had become more flighty than fearsome of late, but Roberto Firmino’s enforced absence has actually been a blessing in disguise.
Injury forced the Brazil international to miss this game but cohorts Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah ensured that he was not keenly felt against the Hornets.
Ably assisted by Divock Origi, Mane went on to record his 13th and 14th goals of the season, adding his name to a select group of Premier League marksmen.
He now joins Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero in scoring over 10 goals in the last five campaigns with two well-taken goals, including an exquisite back-heeled.
Salah may have failed to find the target but the devil is in the detail as Liverpool’s top scorer fashioned openings for Alexander-Arnold to become a lead architect.
Five goals scored in their previous four outings looks like small change now.
Origi shows fresh glimpse of star quality
In Firmino’s place, eyebrows were raised at Origi being handed a starring role.
Klopp insisted before kick-off that the Belgian striker had earned his place and the Liverpool manager’s assertion could not have rung truer in this fixture.
There is more to Origi than his recent super-sub billing, evidenced not only by a low-driven strike for his first goal since last month’s FA Cup exit to Wolves.
He was a bustling presence at both ends of the field, regularly rushing back to help out with defensive duties as much as causing havoc in the front line.
It was a throwback to Origi’s promising start to his Anfield career and, although likely to be short-lived this weekend, proves he is still capable of taking the lead.
Van Dijk deserves Player of the Year
It has been said before but bears repeating as Liverpool’s title charge continues.
Virgil van Dijk has to be odds-on favourite for the Player of the Year awards.
Recording a 16th Premier League clean sheet does not do justice to the Dutchman’s uncompromising approach. Neither did his late goal brace.
Van Dijk continues to add a layer of calm which the Reds have been lacking since the days when Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher marshalled their backline.
Chelsea star Eden Hazard and Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min are likely to provide stern competition for the centre-back when the awards are doled out in May.
Regardless of whether Liverpool can see their bid to end 29 years of hurt through, there is no dispute that Van Dijk is streets ahead of the compeition.