Liverpool sealed their 1,500th home league win against Fulham.
Rio Ngumoha broke the deadlock late in the first half with his first goal at Anfield from a curling strike after he had skipped past Timothy Castagne.
The teenager helped the Reds extend their lead just minutes later when Cody Gakpo helped on his floated delivery to Mohamed Salah for rifled finish.
Arne Slot’s side remain fifth in the Premier League table but opened up a four-point cushion over Chelsea in the battle for a Champions League spot.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Ngumoha is no Raheem Sterling
Liverpool fans could be forgiven for believing history is repeating itself.
The last time they plucked a precocious teenage winger west London burned so brightly in his formative Anfield career that it catapulted him to stardom.
Parallels between Rio Ngumoha and Raheem Sterling are inescapable after the baton of the Reds’ youngest-ever home league scorer was finally passed.
Sterling’s record had stood since October 2012 but his present-day successor achieved the feat with three months to spare at just 17 years and 255 days.
But whereas Kopites were guilty of expecting too much too soon of the future England international in his early appearances, Ngumoha’s hype is justified.
More than the technique of an historic opener sets him apart from the man who was on course to be Liverpool’s future before joining Manchester City.
Ngumoha’s innate ability to leave supporters on the edge of their seats every time he darts towards goal is a quality which Sterling showed in only flashes.
Such a talent is too good to be left warming Liverpool’s bench most weeks.
FSG must back down again
For all the progress that Liverpool have enjoyed under Fenway Sports Group, the ownership continue to make a habit of shooting themselves in the foot.
Relations between the club’s American overlords and the Anfield faithful become strained whenever the former embark on a needless power play.
The hierarchy’s latest hare-brained scheme is to implement three years of ticket prices rises aligned to the rate of inflation, starting from next season.
Understandably, fans are refusing to take it lying down – especially when it emerged that the financial hike is only set to swell the coffers by £1.2 million.
No flags were displayed on The Kop, removing its Unique Selling Point, while an extensive brand of messaging appeared throughout Fulham’s visit.
A banner displayed in the 14th minute declared ‘No to Ticket Price Increases” and followed by industrial chants on where FSG could ‘stick’ their price rises.
This is hardly unchartered territory for John Henry and co. after their previous attempt in 2016 to raise ticket prices to £77 and season tickets to £1,000.
Squeezing loyal match goers for chump change, however, is a new level of avarice they must back down on or risk untold damage to their bottom line.
Reds’ farewell tours flourish
Arne Slot rang the changes after his side’s abject Champions League quarter final first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain with five players making way.
That meant first starts for Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson since announcing their respective decisions to leave at the end of this season.
Their opening appearances of what is set to be a condensed farewell tour was bookended by both players being serenaded by the Anfield crowd.
Yet the appreciation for Salah and Robertson was not mere lip service, as they know all too well after a combined 811 appearances in a red shirt.
From the first whistle, the pair rolled back the years with the Egyptian’s first Premier League goal on home soil since November 1 adding a special sheen.
Robertson, too, remained more than capable of commanding the left-back slot which was automatically his prior to last summer’s transfer splurge.
Both he and Salah will not be short of offers when they walk out of Anfield for a final time next month but in the meantime, they still have plenty to offer.