Liverpool emphatically took the spoils in the 239th Merseyside derby.
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring during a frenetic start for Jurgen Klopp’s side with a well-drilled a shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Henderson later turned provider as his through ball found Mohamed Salah, who lifted the ball into an empty net after drawing Jordan Pickford off his line.
Everton reduced their first-half deficit just minutes from half time as Demarai Gray raced ahead of the Reds’ defence on a counter-attack for a tidy finish.
But the visitors extended their lead after the interval when Seamus Coleman miscontrolled a pass that allowed Salah to produce a superb individual effort.
Worst followed for the Blues as Diogo Jota rounded off their ordeal by delivering a powerful strike into the roof of Pickford’s net from a tight angle.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
No way back for Benitez now
This Merseyside derby would always be make or break for Rafael Benitez’s Everton tenure – and that was before his new charges even kicked a ball.
But the Spaniard is officially on the brink after his side produced their heaviest home loss against Liverpool in 39 years, with gutless performance to match.
A return of just one point from 21 on offer and, depressingly, one win in the last 10 games is also the worst run of any Blues’ manager since David Moyes.
Unlike the current West Ham boss, however, there are little signs Benitez will turn things around judging by this ultimately limp display against his old club.
Little wonder that the travelling Liverpool fans seized every opportunity to serenade their former hero as their own team coasted to an emphatic victory.
Benitez’s tactical approach has remained largely unchanged since he shuffled away from Anfield, 11 years ago, and remains firmly mired in the mid-2000s.
That stubbornness will ultimately be his undoing when, not if, the axe falls.
…but Blues’ problems run deeper
Unlike his predecessors, Benitez was spared the indignity of the Goodison Park crowd turning their anger solely on him for this latest humiliation.
Chants of ‘Sack the Board’ were audible at the final whistle of the one-sided shellacking while Everton’s present hierarchy figures received both barrels.
Bill Kenwright and Marcel Brands had to endure brutal levels of personal abuse from supporters as they made their way down from the directors’ box.
Those venting frustrations pointed to Kenwright’s premiership and Brands’ dubious record as director of football as root causes of the current malaise.
Yet majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, whose largesse has brought Everton to this point, was conspicuous by his absence during the rancorous scenes.
Moshiri’s millions bankrolled ambitions of a squad capable of competing on the European stage but now instead resembles a Frankenstein’s monster.
He, and the rest of the board, must own this mess as much as Benitez.
Salah heading for another banner year
The Ballon d’Or may disagree, but Mohamed Salah is destined for greatness.
Liverpool’s free-scoring forward responded to missing out on the award by opening December with a brace that takes his haul this season to 19 goals.
Fittingly, Salah reached that figure against Everton during his first campaign at Anfield which ended with a personal haul of 44 strikes in all competitions.
The Egypt international won the coveted Puskas Award for that effort and could conceivably add his latest derby haul to the list of nominees for 2022.
A chipped finish to double the Reds’ lead may have been the more aesthetically pleasing but Salah’s second-half goal merits inclusion, too.
His surging run and finish after Seamus Coleman miscontrolled the ball combined sheer athleticism with the ruthless eye of a stone-cold poacher.
The Africa Cup of Nations notwithstanding, Salah is hurtling for another banner year with Jurgen Klopp’s side as the season approaches its midway point.