As Liverpool players queued up and took turns to hammer the ball into Sparta Prague’s goal, a sigh of relief from Pep Guardiola could almost be heard coming from Manchester.
As for Erik ten Hag across the city, he would have been hiding behind the sofa fearing another drubbing.
Jurgen Klopp’s men obliterated their Czech counterparts with a merciless display that made the Treble winners’ point here last Sunday look incredibly valuable. Liverpool now go to bitter rivals United on Sunday and, on this form, Old Trafford could see a premature demolition job.