Liverpool restored their five-point lead atop the Premier League table with an absorbing 4-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday evening, Jurgen Klopp's 200th in the English top flight.
While Dominik Szoboszlai, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were among the scorers for the Reds, the spotlight was hogged by 20-year-old Conor Bradley, who notched one of his own while also banking two assists in a masterful Merseyside performance.
Christopher Nkunku did find the mark for Chelsea, who were unfortunate to be denied two penalties on the evening, but Mauricio Pochettino's side were nothing short of pitiful in the opening 45 minutes and deservedly travelled home with a ninth top-flight loss of the season next to their name.
Despite Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to full fitness, Bradley and Joe Gomez reprised their wing-back roles for Liverpool and would be tasked with keeping Noni Madueke and Raheem Sterling - subjected to a villain's welcome - quiet.
However, as soon as Paul Tierney's first whistle blew, the Chelsea duo were largely camped inside their own half alongside their teammates, as Liverpool attacked with intent at every opportunity.
The livewire Darwin Nunez in particular was terrorising the Blues backline and had his first sighter of goal in the fifth minute, which Dorde Petrovic tipped over with no real trouble, merely seconds before Conor Gallagher went tumbling in the Liverpool box.
Replays showed that Virgil van Dijk had clipped Gallagher's knee, but Chelsea's pleas for a penalty controversially fell on deaf ears, and Liverpool quickly surged down the other end of the field after that reprieve.
Another fizzing attempt from Nunez in the eighth minute saw a combination of Petrovic and the top of the bar keep the Uruguayan out, and lightning struck twice in the 20th minute, as a Nunez strike across goal was creeping in before Petrovic tipped the ball onto the post.
Few bets would have been placed on anyone other than the fired-up Nunez breaking the deadlock, and Liverpool would get the goal that their efforts warranted in the 23rd minute, but it would be one of the South American's teammates to provide it instead.
Bradley started the move, robbing Ben Chilwell of the ball and playing a crisp pass inside to Jota, who squeezed through Benoit Badiashile and Thiago Silva far too easily before finishing low into the Chelsea net.
Bidding to redeem himself straight away, Chilwell did the exact opposite in the 35th minute - picking up a booking for simulation inside the Reds box - and the left-back's horror show continued just four moments later, where a Liverpool full-back was ironically the beneficiary.
As Chilwell and Jota got involved in a tussle in the centre of the pitch, the former left acres of space for Bradley to surge into, and despite the best efforts of a backtracking Sterling, the Reds youngster found the far corner with a terrific strike across goal to open his Liverpool account.
A near-flawless first half from the hosts was ostensibly set to get even better in injury time, as Tierney pointed to the spot after Badiashile wiped out Jota, but woodwork merchant Nunez incredibly struck the frame of the goal for the third time in the match, and for the eighth time in the current Premier League campaign.
Pochettino pulled no punches at the break with a trio of those alterations, one of whom - Mykhaylo Mudryk - had a gilt-edged chance to give Chelsea a lifeline in the 51st minute, but he could only guide Malo Gusto's low cross over the bar from a promising position.
Nunez slightly spared Mudryk's blushes with another shot straight at Petrovic in the 61st minute, but Klopp's found goal number three just six moments later, as the irrepressible Bradley crossed for Szoboszlai to guide a low header over the line.
Chelsea fans could have been forgiven for heading for the exits, but substitute Nkunku offered the Blues a sliver of hope in the 70th minute, turning away from Alexis Mac Allister and Van Dijk before crashing in a consolation via the inside of the post.
For the second time in the match, the Reds were arguably fortunate not to concede a spot kick in the 73rd minute, when Van Dijk appeared to clip Nkunku in the box, but Nunez's luck was not in four minutes later, as he sent a header towards goal but inevitably hit the bar again.
In doing so, the 24-year-old became the first Premier League player on record to strike the woodwork four times in one game, but he would partially redeem himself in the 79th minute, firing a crisp ball across goal for Diaz to poke home and restore Liverpool's three-goal advantage.
Ahead of Sunday's blockbuster affair with Arsenal, Liverpool sit five points clear of the Gunners and Manchester City - who still have a game in hand - while Chelsea remain 10th and are at risk of being bumped below Wolverhampton Wanderers before they host Gary O'Neil's men on Sunday. body check tags ::
