It started, as it so often does with this relentless Liverpool team, by pouncing on a loose ball.
After Sadio Mane was beaten by Victor Lindelof in the air, Luis Diaz reacted quickest to claim possession in the Manchester United half and feed Fabinho, who in turn played it to Thiago Alcantara.
The ball was then knocked wide to Andy Robertson before coming back to Thiago who, retreating towards his own goal, held off Marcus Rashford and played safely to Alisson Becker. After a one-two with Joel Matip, the goalkeeper then passed again to the centre-back, who then found Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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An injection of pace in the pass then released Fabinho into space down the right, the Brazilian playing forward to Mohamed Salah who then went backwards for Jordan Henderson to switch play on the left to Robertson. Possession then moved inside to Thiago, the Spaniard reversing the play to the opposing flank with a long diagonal to Salah by the touchline.
Neat control and a backflick fed Henderson down the line, with the skipper then exchanging passes first with Alexander-Arnold and then Fabinho before stroking inside to Matip, who had sauntered unattended into the United half. Again, there was an increase in impetus as the defender fizzed a pass in to the feet of Diaz on the edge of the area, the Colombian taking a touch before returning the ball to his team-mate.
Then, the rapier denouement, Matip playing a first-time pass forward to Mane, whose instinctive clipped ball over his shoulder cut out the entire United defence and invited the incoming Salah to take a touch before slotting past United goalkeeper David De Gea.
It was a goal that instantly entered the pantheon of Anfield greats, up there with Terry McDermott's famous header against Tottenham Hotspur in 1978 and any of the strikes that unpicked Nottingham Forest 10 years later. In total, Liverpool had maintained possession for 76 seconds, completing 25 passes with Virgil van Dijk - whose long ball forward had prompted the aerial challenge that sparked the move - the only Reds player not involved. Triangles here, there and everywhere. Players, as Jurgen Klopp would say, in tune. United couldn't lay a paw on his side.
As well as helping propel Liverpool to a 4-0 win over their bitter North West rivals on Tuesday, it showcased how comfortable every player is with the ball at their feet, a key tenet of a side that, while based on counter-pressing and intensity, is laced with talent.
Not least Thiago, whose standing ovation on his late substitution was richly deserved following a performance that, once again, highlighted his importance to Liverpool. In the 19 games he has started this season, the Reds have won 17, drawn at Manchester City and lost at home to Inter Milan in a tie where they progressed regardless.
“We have to keep him fit,” admits Klopp. “He has rhythm now, which helps with these kind of situations to really be in the right spaces, the right little turns, finding the right passes. You don't have five million players like this on the planet. Only a few who see things earlier than anyone else and have the technical ability to not only see it but get the ball there as well.
"He played a proper game. Football is outstanding, but his counter-pressing was mad. That makes the full package. I couldn't respect it more. He is an outstanding player. We have to make sure that he can keep his rhythm and that he can play as often as possible."
The demands of the closing weeks makes it unlikely Thiago will feature in every remaining game of the campaign. Encouraging, then, is the fact several other midfielders are hitting form at the right time, with Fabinho also excellent against United and Jordan Henderson much improved during the first half. Naby Keita, too, is in arguably the shape of his Reds career.
"We recovered a lot of balls in the opposite half of the field, this is really important," says Fabinho. "And 4-0 is just (reward) for the game we played. Of course, the three points is always important, but we want to play good football, our best football at the highest level of intensity and quality with the ball, because we have a lot of quality in the team."
The second goal on Tuesday was proof of that. If anybody wants to know why Liverpool can achieve a quadruple not even United or neighbours City have yet claimed, those few minutes are as good a showreel as any.
