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A second-half rout saw Liverpool decimate Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium, with a Diogo Jota brace and Mohamed Salah's goal firing the Reds to victory.
Jurgen Klopp made some curious choices in his starting lineup, with the in-form Jota left out for the fit-again Roberto Firmino, while James Milner was preferred to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita.
Arsenal made four changes to the side that drew 3-3 with West Ham before the international break. Nicolas Pepe, Rob Holding and Dani Ceballos were all among those handed starts.
A cagey first half saw very little goal-mouth action, with neither goalkeeper called into saves.
Arsenal were forced into a substitution right on the stroke of halftime when Kieran Tierney went down injured and his place on the field was taken by Cedric Soares.
Liverpool made a tactical change on the hour mark, with Jota coming on for Andrew Robertson. It took less than three minutes for the Portugal international to make his mark when he rose highest to head home a perfect delivery by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The visitors doubled their lead four minutes later. A lofted ball into the box by Fabinho was latched onto by Mohamed Salah - who showed great strength to dispossess Gabriel Magalhaes - and the Egypt international made no mistake from six yards, slotting under Bernd Leno with his right foot.
Liverpool continued to dominate proceedings for the rest of the game and got a deserved third when Jota reacted first to a loose ball in the area and slotted home from close range.
The victory moves the Reds up to fifth on the table, while Arsenal remain in ninth place. Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Liverpool take giant step to securing top-four finish with victory over Arsenal
It might seem difficult to fathom that Liverpool are struggling for a top four finish right now, considering that the Reds were top of the table by Christmas.
However, a disastrous start to the year has seen the defending champions sounter down the table, ending their title ambitions over and leaving them facing a real battle to secure UEFA Champions League football next season.
With Chelsea and Leicester City having lost earlier in the day, Liverpool went into their clash with Arsenal knowing that a victory would put them right back in the mix for a top four finish.
Klopp's questionable starting lineup meant they did not have too much firepower in attack but once Jota broke the deadlock, it became one-way traffic.
The victory moves Liverpool to within a point of Chelsea and although qualification is still out of their hands, this convincing win over Arsenal could be the tonic the Anfield outfit need to revitalize their season.
#4 Mo Salah ends goal drought
Mohamed Salah has been one of the best players in the world over the last few years. Despite Liverpool's struggles since the turn of the year, the former Chelsea man still got the job done in front of goal.
He, however, had a barren run in recent weeks that saw him go five Premier League games without a goal, which is far from ideal for a player of his standing.
Salah's good record against Arsenal meant that he would have fancied his chances of getting on the scoresheet and despite missing his first big chance, the 28-year-old did not make a mistake at the second time of asking.
His goal moved him up to 18 for the season, one clear of Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Having found his scoring boots again, the Liverpool talisman will be keen on ending the season on a high.
#3 Gabriel Magalhaes has a game to forget for Arsenal
Gabriel Magalhaes has earned plaudits for his displays since joining Arsenal but the 23-year-old had a nightmare performance against Liverpool.
While none of his teammates covered themselves in glory against the Reds, the Brazilian defender was arguably the worst of the lot and made two mistakes that led to opposition goals.
He was not strong enough in his challenge on Mo Salah and went down too easily in the buildup to the second goal which saw the Liverpool forward dispossess him. His underhit pass to Cedric was cut out and led to the third goal for the visitors.
To cap it all off, Gabriel was shown a yellow card in injury time for a heavy challenge on Diogo Jota and this performance is not one the Arsenal defender will look back too fondly on.
#2 Diogo Jota continues his hot streak in front of goal
There was a lot of furor raised when Diogo Jota was left out of the Liverpool starting lineup against Arsenal.
In his stead, an out-of-form Roberto Firmino - who was only returning to full fitness - was charged with leading the line.
The outrage was understandable, considering that the 24-year-old had scored the winning goal for Liverpool in the last game before the international break and followed that up with two goals for his country.
It took an hour of toothless play in attack for Jurgen Klopp to introduce the Portugal international and in keeping with his recent run, Jota needed just a few minutes to find the back of the net.
His anticipation of getting on the end of Alexander Arnold's cross is a major hallmark that is missing from Firmino's game and the former Wolves man ended the night with a brace.
At this rate, it will be counterproductive for Klopp to continue ignoring Jota and with a marquee game coming up against Real Madrid in midweek, it is imperative that the Liverpool number 20 leads the line.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold sends a statement to Gareth Southgate with his display against Arsenal
England manager Gareth Southgate made a huge decision when he left out Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold off his latest international squad.
The right-back position is one of the most competitive in the Three Lions camp but Arnold's displays over the last few years have set him out as arguably the standout player in his position in the world.
The 22-year-old has, however, not had the best of campaigns this term and has struggled to hit the previous heights attained.
He responded to his international snub in the best way possible and was arguably the best player on the field against Arsenal.
The England international showed his defensive awareness with two tackles and three interceptions but it was at the other end where he was at his most productive.
His delivery for Jota's opener was a throwback to his very best performances and he could have registered another assist had Sadio Mane not inexplicably headed wide from six yards.
It was an all-round performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold, highlighting that the decrease in output was just a temporary loss in form.
Gareth Southgate will do well to take note.
