Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring for Liverpool as the Reds thrashed bottom club Aston Villa to move up to eighth in the Premier League.
Sturridge, making his first league start since October, headed home before James Milner’s free-kick crept in after being missed by keeper Mark Bunn.
Emre Can rifled in a shot, Divock Origi slotted home and Nathaniel Clyne bundled in to add to the Reds’ lead.
Kolo Toure headed in a sixth as Villa were punished for a poor performance.
The home side’s disgruntled fans started streaming out of Villa Park following Liverpool’s fifth after 65 minutes and there were plenty of empty blue seats at the final whistle.
It is the first time Villa have conceded six at home in a league game since October 1983 and leaves the Midlands outfit eight points from safety with 12 games left.
Sturridge was not mentioned by Roy Hodgson when the England manager was speaking about his striking options on Match of the Day on Saturday and would have been keen to remind people of his qualities.
Sturridge did not take long to do so as he nodded in for his fifth goal of the season, while he also had an effort well saved by keeper Bunn following a good move.
The 26-year-old certainly gave Liverpool a greater cutting edge in attack and Klopp had the luxury of taking him off after 62 minutes as he eased him back with the League Cup final against Manchester City on 28 February in mind.
“It was great to be back but it was more important that the team won,” said Sturridge. “It was great to get so many goals.”
Villa went into the game in better form than Liverpool, with eight points from their last six league outings compared to five for the Reds.
However, any hope it was the start of some kind of great escape quickly dissolved as the home side did not take long to show why they are marooned at the bottom.
Villa had a doomed look about them as the game became a damage limitation exercise with their crowd’s disgruntlement apparent as they booed their side off at the break and the final whistle.
Their performance was littered with poor defending, a lack of discipline and individual mistakes, with Remi Garde’s team letting in four goals in 13 second-half minutes as they capitulated in front of a rapidly emptying Villa Park.
A consolation goal even deserted Villa when Scott Sinclair’s late curler hit the woodwork in their heaviest defeat of the season.
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