SAINTS were utterly unable to resist the sum of Liverpool’s parts as they got dismantled 4-0 on a cold afternoon at Anfield.

A first-half Diogo Jota brace and Thiago’s deflected rocket was Saints being let off lightly – but it was more than enough to seal all three points.

Former Saint Virgil van Dijk’s second-half volley only added punishment as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side couldn’t be further from a first victory at Anfield since September 2013.

Hasenhuttl made three changes to his side that were defeated at Norwich, a first Premier League start for Lyanco to make a five-man defence, Romain Perraud giving Kyle Walker-Peters rest, and a three-pronged attack – Moi Elyounoussi was absent altogether.

Labelled a 3-4-3, the trio of Che Adams, Adam Armstrong and Armando Broja, in from the off for a first start since scoring against Leeds and Burnley, gave promise of end-to-end affairs.

For Liverpool, any one of Jota, Sadio Mane and arguably the world’s best player, Mohamed Salah, posed Alex McCarthy significant threat.

Weather had caused some disruptions across the pyramid, with neighbouring Tranmere seeing their League Two fixture vs Stevenage postponed after Storm Arwen blew off a stand’s roof.

But bitter cold aside, this contest got under way without interference.

At least the home side did; Jota had two big chances inside two minutes after Jan Bednarek misjudged a bounce to let him in – desperate defending stopped the first but great wide-play from Mane and Andy Robertson gave him another opportunity to tuck in from close range.

Mane then had the ball in the net 10 minutes later via a header from a deep free-kick, but it was ruled offside to give Saints what already looked like a slim chance of recovery.

Broja had Saints’ first real attack 23 minutes in with a good run, doing well to hold off Ibrahima Konate but not finding a finish – before he was through on goal again and putting wide, although he was well offside.

That was as good as it got, with Liverpool finding a quick-fire double through Jota tapping in his second after superb link-up play out right involving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah’s cut across goal.

Thiago made it three with still 52 minutes of time remaining, picking up Adams’ clearance and driving a shot which deflected off Lyanco, who had prevented Jota getting a hattrick moments earlier, past McCarthy.

Armstrong hit a shot well just before half-time but even the counter from that saw Salah just overhit a square-ball that would have again afforded Jota a treble.

Hasenhuttl’s double-change at the break saw the usual 4-2-2-2 return, with Nathan Redmond and Nathan Tella replacing Bednarek and Adams to play as wingers.

Standard service resumed and van Dijk was able to volley home low from a corner five minutes into the half. The former Saints defender didn’t celebrate the notch against his ex-employers.

Jota turned over on the half-volley following a completely elusive Robertson cross as the game winded down into the final 15 minutes without a meaningful Saints fightback.

The rest remained a training exercise for the home side as ex-loanee Takumi Minamino was introduced with 10 minutes left – all played out without significant event.

The result leaves Saints with 14 points from 13 Premier League matches.

Saints: McCarthy; Livramento, Bednarek (Redmond, 46), Lyanco, Salisu, Perraud (Walker-Peters, 87); Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Adams (Tella, 46), Broja, Armstrong

Unused subs: Valery, Diallo, Smallbone, Walcott, Long, Forster (g/k)

Booked: Bednarek,

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Milner, 66), Thiago (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 59); Salah, Jota (Minamino, 80), Mane

Unused subs: Tsimikas, Origi, Williams, Morton, Kelleher (g/k)

Booked: N/A