Liverpool maintained their 100 per cent Champions League group record against Porto.
Thiago Alcantara broke the deadlock early into the second half with a superb half-volley from 25 yards out that nestled in the corner of The Kop’s net.
The Reds doubled their lead when Mohamed Salah ran onto a reverse pass from Jordan Henderson and fired beyond Diogo Costa in the visitors’ goal.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were already guaranteed top spot in Group B but could finish with a flawless six victories if they overcome AC Milan next month.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Reds still scoring for fun
So much for a ‘dead rubber’ Champions League group encounter.
Liverpool could have been forgiven for easing off in this penultimate Group B fixture against a Porto team still hoping to join them in the knockout stages.
But where’s the fun in that?
The merciless streak that Jurgen Klopp’s side continue to inflict when putting their opponents to the sword has become something of an art form lately.
It is also helping them push new frontiers in the Anfield record books, with a second-half double taking their haul after 19 games to an incredible 55 goals.
Just once in the Reds’ entire history have they emulated that tally at this stage of a season, back in Kenny Dalglish’s managerial heyday of 1986/87.
Kopites would have to thumb through the annals of history to the 1890s, when they plundered 54 goals in two campaigns, to find a closer equivalent.
Salah hots up award season
Mohamed Salah probably already knows that the Ballon d’Or will elude him when the award for the world’s best player is announced next Monday.
He is also unlikely to claim FIFA’s The Best accolade from a crowded field.
Still, Salah’s exploits might just have offered those considering plumping for Robert Lewandowski or Karim Benzema some last-minute food for thought.
Plundering his 17th goal in as many games for Liverpool only served to strengthen the Egyptian’s credentials to be considered among the true elite.
Swatting aside both Zaidu Sanusi and Mateus Uribe, he produced another exquisite finish by firing the ball beyond Diogo Costa at his near post.
Salah’s scrapbook moments in front of goal are becoming so frequent yet continue to enthrall those privileged enough to witness them first-hand.
The 29-year-old’s impressive displays are helping liven up the awards season as well as strengthen his bid to win a second Puskas Award for the best goal.
At his current rate, Salah could be running unopposed in that category.
That the current crop have hit the target at least twice in 16 of 19 games – a feat last achieved by any English club in 1939 – is all the more impressive.
Even with the job done and dusted, Liverpool are still scoring for fun.
Morton helps light the way
Until recently Klopp had been careful not to give Tyler Morton too much too soon.
Prior to his second-half cameo against Arsenal, the Wallasey-born midfielder’s two senior outings for Liverpool were restricted to their Carabao Cup run.
On the back of that first taste of Premier League action, however, Morton made a compelling case for his regular inclusion on the European stage.
A sliding tackle deep in his own penalty area dissuaded Mehdi Taremi from taking the logical option of testing Alisson after a smart ball from Otavio.
Morton’s defensive capabilities proved a useful asset at the other end of the pitch, too, as his long ball set up Mohamed Salah’s match-clinching strike.
Either side of those decisive contributions, the 19-year-old demonstrated why Klopp had taken a leap of faith in handing him a second starting appearance.
If others in Liverpool’s growing production line also begin to step up soon, they have Morton’s stint in the spotlight to thank for lighting their route.