Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy helped Liverpool erase the pain of their Carling Cup humiliation with a 3-0 hammering of Watford.
Crouch, Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt started together in attack for the first time as Rafa Benitez boldly decided to change Liverpool's formation, with three in defence and Steve Finnan and Fabio Aurelio as wing-backs.
Crouch was the only striker to receive much service in the early stages as Liverpool started the game sluggishly, but the result was never in doubt after the first goal and The Reds finished the game with a swagger.
Steven Gerrard smashed a 25-yard effort just wide of Ben Foster's right-hand post after six minutes, but it seemed an age before Liverpool found their rhythm and they had to rely on set-pieces to threaten early on.
Watford's defensive frailties were highlighted at free-kicks as Crouch was twice allowed to peel away to the back post to collect Gerrard's delivery, and on the second occasion he tested Foster with a low volley.
From the resultant corner Aurelio saw a goal rightly chalked out for offside as he turned in Finnan's mis-hit cross-shot, before Crouch headed straight at Foster from Finnan's cross moments later.
Watford only threatened sporadically but almost took the lead after 25 minutes as Hameur Bouazza sprinted in from the left and fired a shot inches wide of the post from just outside the area.
Liverpool broke the deadlock after 34 minutes as Crouch and Finnan combined to set up Bellamy. Crouch twice looked as though he had lost possession as he battled his way through towards goal, but his perseverance paid off as Foster rushed out and failed to gather the ball. It squirted out to Finnan and, with Foster stranded, he cleverly picked out Bellamy in the six-yard box to give him the simplest of tap-ins.
Tommy Smith had a glorious opportunity to equalise for Watford as he was played in to the penalty area down the right, but he showed no composure as Reina approached and his shot across goal was so far wide of the mark it trickled out to hit the corner flag.
Watford were punished for Smith's miss as they found themselves 2-0 down after 40 minutes. Kuyt's header released Bellamy and, although the Welshman's strike was brilliantly parried by Foster, the ball bounced into Crouch's path and he headed into an empty net.
As the second half got underway Adrian Boothroyd brought Will Hoskins on for his Watford debut and Ashley Young quickly forced a fine save out of Jose Reina with a long-range drive.
However, any fleeting hopes Watford had of staging a comeback were snuffed out after 48 minutes as Crouch grabbed his second and Liverpool's third.
Aurelio fed Bellamy down the left and he was given time to cut the ball across goal to the unmarked Crouch 12 yards out. Full of confidence, the giant forward slotted his first-time shot coolly into the bottom left corner.
With Liverpool in full flow and the Watford backline in tatters a goal looked likely every time The Reds broke forward, but Gerrard squandered a glorious opening as he blazed high and wide from inside the area.
Crouch was denied his hat-trick by a fine stop from Foster before being replaced by Jermaine Pennant after 69 minutes.
To their credit Watford continued to play positively, and Jordan Stewart's dipping half-volley from almost 30 yards was only kept out by the angle of post and crossbar.
Bouazza also came close to restoring some pride to the scoreline as his powerful free-kick was well held by Reina, and Watford saw a bit more of the ball in the closing stages as Liverpool took their foot off the gas.
Liverpool remained in control until the final whistle though and Bellamy, John Arne Riise and Aurelio all tried to pile more misery on Watford late on.
They had to settle for 3-0, a more than accurate reflection of their dominance, and Benitez will have been relieved to see his side return to winning ways.
good of them to have come back after the morale sapping defeat by Arsenal. Although deemed as weak, its not easy doing battle at Vicarage Rd, Arsenal could only come away with 1-0 win.
RB stated his intentions early by fielding 3 strikers, just wondered if they had been playing / putting up such a strong side much earlier in the Premier League, maybe Liverpool's league position will be different.
Peter Crouch helped himself with 2 goals before he was substituted out with Jermain Pennant replacing him in the 69th minutes.