Liverpool boosted their top four credentials with a win over Wolves.
Darwin Nunez appeared to have handed Jurgen Klopp’s side a second-half lead but saw his goal disallowed by VAR for Diogo Jota’s foul in the build-up.
The Portugal international later atoned for his mistake when the Reds did open the scoring by teeing up Virgil van Dijk to pounce from a set piece.
That tally was doubled just four minutes later after Salah met Kostas Tsimikas’ cross from the byline to fire past Jose Sa in front of The Kop.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Reds continue to keep it clean
Despite Liverpool’s ultimately comfortable win, this encounter is still unlikely to find its way onto the Premier League’s list of classic all-time fixtures.
They had to endure a prolonged spell of caginess as Wolves attempted to repeat their exploits from January’s entertaining FA Cup third round tie.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side emerged with more than just maximum points against their Black Country counterparts after rolling back the clock to a happier time.
Alisson racking up a fourth successive clean sheet in the top flight marked an impressive sequence last seen during a run of five games in April last year.
It’s fair to say the Reds’ priorities have shifted somewhat since that hedonistic period, when winning all four trophies remained a truly attainable target.
Scraping a Champions League qualification place for the seventh consecutive year remains the great unknown, with a six-point chasm still to be bridged.
Building towards a top four finish, however, begins with solid foundations and keeping it clean at the back will go a long way towards achieving that aim.
Salah on the edge of heaven
Even at his worst, Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool star continues to shine.
The Egypt international may not be the only player at Anfield previously struggling for form this season but his downturn has been the most stark.
At this stage 12 months ago, Salah had plundered 19 Premier League goals; double figures which he has still to breach during the current campaign.
Yet the 30-year-old is still redefining his club’s already lofty benchmark after his latest strike surpassed the 20-goal barrier for a sixth consecutive season.
That remarkable consistency threatens to be followed by the equally impressive feat of becoming Liverpool’s all-time Premier League top scorer.
Salah is now one strike away from equalling Robbie Fowler’s longstanding haul of 128 goals; a record which has stood for more than 15 years now.
Eclipsing that achievement by a man once dubbed ‘God’ is only a matter of time for Anfield’s imperious no.11 as he continues to uphold the gold standard.
Anfield primed for United showdown
Uninspiring though this game was in large parts, it was perfect preparation for the visit of a resurgent Manchester United in Sunday’s top-flight showdown.
Liverpool’s North West have already usurped them as Carabao Cup holders and will be aiming to make inroads on their FA Cup crown later this month.
Beyond that, the Red Devils are hoping to emulate Klopp’s quadruple chasers by marrying a Europa League run with their outside Premier League title tilt.
A hard-fought contest not too dissimilar to this one with Wolves is likely to ensue; something which will serve Anfield’s youthful midfield incredibly well.
Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott appeared increasingly unfazed by their latest engine room challenges, either side of a steadily improving Fabinho.
Klopp will doubtless resist temptation to start both on Sunday yet there was ample evidence they are capable of going toe-to-toe with Casemiro and co.