Mohamed Salah’s double at West Ham helped Liverpool secure back-to-back wins.
Salah broke the deadlock just before the hour mark with a curling effort into the top left-hand corner from a well-worked pass by substitute Curtis Jones.
The Egyptian doubled his tally and lead for Jurgen Klopp’s side some 11 minutes later by rounding off an exquisite counter-attack with a cool finish.
Gini Wijnaldum extended the Premier League champions’ advantage when he slotted home after Roberto Firmino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain combined.
But the Reds failed to keep a clean sheet as Craig Dawson pounced on Andy Robertson’s interception at a corner to give the hosts a small consolation.
Here were the key talking points from the London Stadium:
Super Salah joins Anfield royalty
It takes a truly exceptional player to join the ranks of Liverpool royalty.
Countless marksmen at Anfield have tried and failed to match the heights of the club’s greatest by scoring 20 goals or more in four consecutive seasons.
But finally, Mohamed Salah has etched his name into an illustrious fraternity that is home to Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Billy Liddell and Gordon Hodgson.
Thursday’s disallowed strike at Tottenham delayed the Egypt international’s seemingly inevitable entry into the record books by a matter of just four days.
Back in London, Salah swaggered his way into history with a second-half double which will rank among the finest goals he has ever scored in a red shirt.
Impressive as his initial curling close-range effort was, the follow-up proved equally emphatic as he rounded off a superb counter-attack with a tidy finish.
With Sadio Mane sidelined and Roberto Firmino dropped to the bench, the onus was firmly on Salah as the standard-bearer for Liverpool’s front three.
The manner of this latest record-breaking feat shows that he did not disappoint and how poorer Liverpool are without his presence in the side.
Phillips up for centre-back fight
News of Liverpool’s imminent move for Ben Davies broke late in the first half.
The £2 million deal for Preston North End centre-back is expected to alleviate a season-long issue at the heart of the Premier League champions’ defence.
If Davies believes Fabinho and Jordan Henderson vacating their makeshift positions will only be half the battle, however, he is set for a blunt realisation.
Nat Phillips showed again why the 25-year-old will not have it all his own way after producing another highly commanding display against the Hammers.
November’s corresponding fixture between the sides saw the 23-year-old embrace the spotlight in a 2-1 home win on his Premier League debut.
Shackling the bustling Michail Antonio is no easy task for a defender of any experience, let alone one with only four prior top-flight games to his name.
Beyond that successful endeavour, Phillips also executed a series of neat passes which allowed Liverpool to shift the play fluidly into the attacking third.
Davies’ arrival may provide strength in numbers for a previously patchwork backline but the current incumbent has a head-start in the fight for places.
Klopp shows he still knows best
Critics rounded on Jurgen Klopp in the midst of Liverpool’s recent slump.
One of his players decided to follow that lead as James Milner remonstrated with the German after he was withdrawn in the second half’s early stages.
The visibly annoyed veteran felt that he should have been afforded extra time on the pitch instead of making way for homegrown midfielder Curtis Jones.
‘We have to do something’ was the manager’s response to Milner’s outburst.
Less than a minute later, Klopp had his vindication as Jones’ first touch helped tee up Salah for Liverpool’s opener and unlock a previously cagey encounter.
Not one to let grudges linger, he beckoned Milner to the technical area as the pair aside their recent disagreement with a hug and even laughed about it.
Proof, were it actually needed, that the Liverpool manager still knows best.
Winning return sets up crucial week
A return to winning ways had been a long time coming for Liverpool but back-to-back victories could not have arrived at a better possible moment.
The next week sees the Premier League champions facing successive home outings which will determine their prospects for the campaign’s latter half.
Wednesday’s visit of Brighton has taken on added significance after Graham Potter’s side pulled off a shock win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night.
Further ahead, next weekend’s clash with Manchester City offers a fresh chance for Liverpool to close the points gap on the league’s current leaders.
Cutting the four-point margin between Anfield and the Etihad Stadium may prove immaterial in the grander scheme, with City boasting a game in-hand.
Liverpool’s two most recent games have shown their title defence is not dead and buried, and the next seven days could strengthen that renewed resolve.