Liverpool ran out 5-2 winners over Everton in a thrilling 234th Merseyside derby.
Divock Origi opened the scoring early on after pouncing onto a clever through ball by Sadio Mane to round Jordan Pickford and slot into an empty net
Mane was again instrumental as he produced a near carbon copy assist for Xherdan Shaqiri to double the advantage on his first start of the season.
The Blues struck back shortly afterwards with Michael Keane pouncing as Dejan Lovren stumbled in his own penalty area to rifle home from close-range.
Origi restored Liverpool’s two-goal cushion as he controlled a long ball by Lovren brilliantly on the edge of the visitors’ box before hooking the ball over Pickford.
Mane got on the score sheet himself just before half time with a long-range drive after Trent Alexander-Arnold had teed him up from a counter-attack.
On the stroke of half-time, Everton pulled another back courtesy of Richarlison as he converted a cross from substitute Bernard into The Kop’s penalty area.
A cagey second-half produced just one further goal at the end of normal time when Gini Wijnaldum hit a close-range strike from a lay-off by Roberto Firmino.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Silva’s luck must finally run out
Until now, Marco Silva has remarkably remained the luckiest man in football.
No one has taken more knocks than the Everton boss in recent weeks but his good fortune should belatedly run out after a meek surrender in this defeat.
If the score line was among the worst that the Blues have suffered at Anfield in the Premier League era, the team’s performance was another level of nadir.
By the time they fell two goals behind, early in the first half, some away supporters were already heading for the exits; unwilling to endure further humiliation.
How long Silva can continue to cling to his job is dependent on the ruthlessness of the Goodison Park hierarchy. Through thick and thin, they have persevered.
But loyalty is an overrated commodity especially with a coach that has now presided over a solitary win in his previous six top-flight games.
Should he somehow survive by the time Everton run out against Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, Goodison’s toxicity will reach new-found levels.
For the sake of all concerned, Silva has to finally be put out of his misery.
Return of the Shaq
The last seven months must have felt like a lifetime for Xherdan Shaqiri.
Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final comeback over Barcelona remains highly memorable but the Swiss international has been a largely forgotten man.
Since starting in that 4-0 win – his last prior to this game – Shaqiri has found himself outranked by his peers in attack and laid low by a lengthy calf injury.
On his return to the fold, the ex-Bayern Munich forward atoned for that lost time with a well-taken finish to double the hosts’ advantage early in the first half.
Not content with his name on the score sheet, however, Shaqiri stepped things up with a series of flicks and tricks that had Everton players dancing around him.
Even after months out of favour and fitness, the 28-year-old demonstrated that class really is permanent and one which Jurgen Klopp should call upon regularly.
Klopp bets on the house and wins
Shaqiri’s inclusion itself was made possible by Klopp’s decision to uncharacteristically ring the changes for Everton’s latest Anfield visit.
Whether driven by supreme self-confidence or sheer arrogance, the Liverpool manager’s bold move paid off handsomely with a typically fluid team display.
In midfield, Adam Lallana and James Milner provided a solid base to largely nullify the visitors’ attempts to play through the middle in the first half.
Divock Origi, too, vindicated his inclusion by giving Ian Rush a run for his money in slaying the Blues with a fifth and sixth goal in the past four years of derbies.
The Premier League leaders have become somewhat predictable this season; no matter who they face or what players they field, winning appears inevitable.
With his 100th domestic win on the table, Klopp bet on the house and won. In truth, it was a gamble that he was never really going to lose.
Blues need to turn back time
Should the axe finally fall on Silva, David Moyes is expected to fill the void.
Some Evertonians will already be shuddering at the prospect of returning to the days where facing their top six rivals as seen as ‘taking a knife to a gunfight’.
Moyes’ words may not strike a chord with the Goodison faithful yet other aspects of his 11-year tenure should offer genuine cause for optimism in the short-term.
Everton’s defenders, for a start, may actually fulfill their basic job descriptions – something which cannot be said for them after 18 months of Silva’s coaching.
The first time Sadio Mane was able to thread a through-ball in for Liverpool to open the scoring; the second should have prompted a full-blown inquisition.
Had he been passed fit to play, Fabian Delph may have found some words to articulate his side’s inability to carry out ‘the basics’ during the half-time debrief.
Reverting to Moyes would polarise opinion but if he can regiment Everton’s defence away from its current shambles, some may have to swallow their pride.