Diogo Jota struck twice as Liverpool put Southampton to the sword.
Jota had opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock as he met Andy Robertson’s cut-back from the left-hand side with a tidy finish.
The Portugal international doubled his and the Reds’ tally later in the first half after some good build-up play from Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson.
Thiago Alcantara extended the lead further by seizing on a poor clearance before a deflection off Lyanco allowed his shot to wrong-foot Alex McCarthy.
Virgil van Dijk scored his first goal since returning from injury after the interval by meeting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner a well-taken low volley.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Jota still in PlayStation mode
Diogo Jota’s pre-match preparation was not that of your average footballer.
He stepped out for Liverpool just hours after withdrawing from a FIFA 22 online tournament, a fact he referenced when celebrating their opening goal.
But the Portugal international appeared to still be in PlayStation mode when setting about tormenting Southampton with just 113 seconds on the clock.
Jota’s transition to life in the Reds’ front line continues to be nothing short of seamless, often alternating with the currently sidelined Roberto Firmino.
This, however, was arguably among the 24-year-old’s more eye-catching performances as he plundered two goals and should have added more.
That he left the pitch, nine minutes from the end, without a seemingly inevitable hat-trick successfully claimed is the only blot on Jota’s copybook.
Even that failed to deter The Kop from singing his name.
Robertson officially back to his best
Jota’s opener was also a triumph for more than just the goal scorer himself.
Jurgen Klopp can claim vindication on Andy Robertson, despite growing calls for his understudy Kostas Tsimikas to be handed an extended first-team run.
Good as Tsimikas has been, it bears mentioning that his superior’s dip in form was attributable to several factors, including injury and international pressure.
Shorn of both issues against Southampton, Liverpool reaped the full benefits of the Scotland captain operating at full capacity again in the left-back role.
Robertson’s tee-up for Jota in the second minute drew on his often fluid link-up with Sadio Mane as the pair laid siege to Southampton’s nearside flank.
Klopp has never shied away from making difficult calls with the 27-year-old and notably limited appearances in the formative months of his Anfield career.
Judging by Robertson’s resurgent outing against the Saints, the German’s desire for competition in all departments has clearly paid dividends again.
Reds finally primed for the derby
Something invariably goes wrong for Liverpool heading into a Merseyside derby – or at least it used to.
Last term, they headed into the biannual battles for civic pride on the back of a 7-2 loss at Aston Villa and a hat-trick of home league defeats respectively.
The season before, Alisson’s red card against Brighton and a European exit to Atletico Madrid set the preamble for Klopp’s Premier League champions-elect.
Admittedly the small matter of a pandemic became a more pressing matter than the prospect of clinching a long-awaited title in their rivals’ backyard.
Yet next Wednesday’s trip across Stanley Park holds no fears after such a resounding team performance that boasted the added bonus of a clean sheet.
Irrespective of what happens in Everton’s trip to Brentford, Rafael Benitez still has genuine of cause for concern that his former employers are flying high.
It has been a while since Liverpool approached a derby entirely trouble-free.