Liverpool produced a second-half comeback to see off Luton Town.
Chiedozie Ogbene handed the visitors a surprise lead after just 12 minutes as he headed home after Caoimhin Kelleher parried Tahith Chong’s initial cross.
But Virgil van Dijk pulled Jurgen Klopp’s side level with a bullet header to meet Alexis Mac Allister’s corner on the right early into the second half.
In barely two minutes, the Reds were finally ahead through Cody Gakpo rifling home in front of The Kop following Mac Allister’s superb cross at the byline.
Luis Diaz later added a third by beating Thomas Kaminski at his near post to send the Premier League’s leaders on their way to a comfortable victory.
At the end of normal time, Harvey Elliott completed the rout by seizing on a loose ball in the penalty area to inflict another hammer blow on the Hatters.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Reds build character before Wembley
The last time Liverpool played their game in hand on the run-up to a Carabao Cup final appearance, it proved to be something of an occasion to savour.
Leeds were emphatically put to the sword in a six-goal demolition that left the Anfield crowd dreaming of a similar outcome against Chelsea at Wembley.
It didn’t quite pan out that way in the capital but Jurgen Klopp’s side rose to the occasion differently in Wednesday’s rearranged meeting with Luton Town.
Four second-half goals flew in the face of a languid opening 35 minutes that saw the hosts racked up 11 shots and six corners yet crucially fail to threaten.
That comeback was not only necessary to ensure Liverpool remained top of the Premier League across this weekend but also to develop some resolve.
Sunday’s cup final showdown is anything other than a foregone conclusion with Klopp contending with arguably the biggest injury headache of his reign.
With Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah potentially joining that casualty list after missing the Hatters’ visit, their teammates need to step up even more.
A character-building win proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Van Dijk is making a compelling case
Liverpool’s post-Klopp era threatens to be one of transition and likely flux.
Difficult decisions will need to be taken by whoever replaces the inimitable German this summer, with the future of senior players chief among them.
Virgil van Dijk, however, may prove to be a rare exception to that rule after delivering a timely reminder of his qualities during the second-half onslaught.
While Alexis Mac Allister fits the bill of a ‘Rolls Royce’ midfielder, Liverpool’s captain is more akin to a Bentley; providing often unseen touches of class.
He demonstrated why few in world football can rival the ice-cool composure that snuffed out Luton’s counterattacks in a bid to build on their early lead.
At the other end of the pitch, too, Van Dijk remains an invaluable commodity as he powered home a leveller from Mac Allister’s right-sided corner kick.
For seasoned Kopites, the 32-year-old evoked memories of a time when Sami Hyypia, one of his predecessors in the armband, would do similar.
With less than 18 months remaining, Van Dijk’s long-term future is uncertain but Klopp’s successor would do well to keep him in their immediate plans.
Was this one of Anfield’s great nights?
Trouncing the league’s struggling newcomers on a cold February evening may not rank as one of Anfield’s greatest nights – but maybe it should?
Klopp warned ahead of this encounter that the famous stadium would need to bring its European A-Game to the table against Rob Edwards’ stubborn side.
Post-match, the Liverpool manager admitted to seeing parallels between his team’s latest fightback and their memorable win over Barcelona in May 2019.
That claim is not without foundation given, then as now, Mohamed Salah and several of his supporting cast members had all found themselves laid low.
The Egyptian’s absence coupled with Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones stripped away 51 combined goals from this Premier League campaign.
Muscle memory from that Champions League semi-final turnaround was clearly retained both on the pitch and in the stands in the second 45 minutes.
There was even a homage to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s streetwise corner as Conor Bradley played a smart throw for Mac Allister to tee up Cody Gakpo.
If Liverpool’s current quest for a 20th league title comes to fruition in May, this game will go down in folklore alongside Barcelona, St Etienne and Inter Milan.