Roberto Firmino inspired Liverpool to a nine-goal trouncing of Bournemouth.
Luis Diaz opened the scoring for Jurgen Klopp’s side after barely three minutes’ play with a well-taken header from Firmino’s floated cross.
The Reds doubled their lead in a matter of moments as Harvey Elliott seized the Brazilian’s lay-off to power home from the edge of the penalty area.
A third followed on the half-hour mark as Firmino claimed a hat-trick of assists by producing a one-two for Trent Alexander-Arnold to rifle a 25-yard strike.
Firmino added a goal to his personal tally just minutes later, showing good anticipation to meet Mohamed Salah’s deflected cross with a sliding finish.
Virgil van Dijk rounded off a comprehensive first half by scoring a fifth as he rose to convert Andy Robertson’s corner with a comfortable free header.
Liverpool built on their lead shortly after the interval when Chris Mepham turned the ball into his own net from Alexander-Arnold’s right-sided cross.
Firmino doubled his goal tally on the hour mark as he pounced on Mark Travers palming Robertson’s cross to produce a tidy close-range finish.
An eighth arrived in the final 10 minutes when Fabio Carvalho combined with fellow substitute Kostas Tsimikas to volley home his first Liverpool goal.
Diaz followed up Carvalho’s strike with his second of the afternoon, meeting a corner by Tsimikas with a comfortable header in front of a rapturous Kop.
The result sees Liverpool equal the Premier League’s biggest-ever score line.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Cherries incur the Reds’ wrath
John W Henry could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about.
Liverpool’s principal owner paid a rare visit to check on his investment amid a turbulent start to the new Premier League season for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The ensuing 90 minutes against Bournemouth may have offered Henry a slightly false perception of how difficult things have become at Anfield of late.
Not only did the Reds run out comfortable nine-goal winners but their level of dominance and chance creation arguably deserved even more than that.
A result as resounding as this is always important to view in the context of facing a Bournemouth team that were metaphorical lambs to the slaughter.
Liverpool’s midfield excelled against a team of top-flight returnees but Klopp’s recent admission of a need to strengthen further should not be taken lightly.
Sterner tests will await them in the coming week alone, with a resurgent Newcastle and the small matter of a Merseyside derby on the horizon.
For now, though, the fact that Liverpool are back in their familiar groove must be taken as a positive alongside a record-equalling first win of the campaign.
Firmino still the creator supreme
It is often forgotten how important Roberto Firmino remains to Liverpool.
As focus invariably gravitates towards a new wave of attacking talent, he tends to be considered the prime candidate for being consigned to surplus.
It is a logical conclusion to make when stacked against Mohamed Salah’s eye for goal, Luis Diaz’s multifaceted trickery and Diogo Jota’s poacher’s eye.
Factor in the recent addition of Darwin Nunez and the Brazilian’s standing in that frontline trident appears increasingly less assured than in previous years.
But the Uruguayan’s suspension allowed Firmino to produce a compelling argument for why he still has plenty to offer in the final year of his contract.
Three assists and two goals in his own right told only half the story of the 30-year-old’s input on proceedings during a sun-soaked afternoon at Anfield.
Beyond being creator-in-chief and a supreme finisher in his own right, Firmino was omnipresent as Liverpool proceeded to move rapidly through the gears.
The standing ovation he received after making way for James Milner with just 20 minutes remaining underlined how invaluable his contributions remain.
New Kids on the Kop are alright
Even in such an emphatic victory, Klopp could not resist one of his old habits.
Through necessity as much as luxury, blooding in promising youngsters has become a key staple for the German during his seven-year Anfield tenure.
Injuries made the former a priority for the Liverpool manager as Harvey Elliott was entrusted with successive Premier League starts in the heart of midfield.
He repaid Klopp’s faith by capping off another composed display with a piledriver which doubled the hosts’ lead in the space of just three minutes.
Elliott’s replacement at the half-time followed suit as Fabio Carvalho slotted in seamlessly and went on to record his first Liverpool goal with a cool finish.
Other prospects who failed to end up on the scoresheet still managed to catch the eye in the form of Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark’s credible late cameos.
Ultimately, the academy pair would not be thrust into the spotlight this early in their respective careers were it not for the current dearth of squad options.
Yet they, Elliott and Carvalho will reap the long-term benefits from Klopp’s continued willingness to road-test Liverpool’s burgeoning production line.