This was more than just the most satisfying victory of Liverpool’s season. It was the most important. It was the win that could make the difference next May. They waited, they believed and they won it with one moment.

That’s not been the Liverpool way under Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool have been the go-to side when you want a banquet, too often leaving you dissatisfied when it is all about the scraps. Not this time.

Klopp’s side showed a face we’ve not seen from them before. They scuffled their way to the 94th-minute win. Title-winning teams get through games like this. Far too often, Liverpool have fallen short when opponents asked them to grind it out.

There is still so much to be done to convince everyone they can make victories like this a habit, but if Liverpool achieve their ultimate ambition they will look back on the calendar and circle the date. They will recall the day when Klopp became the first Liverpool manager in history to win his first two Merseyside derbies.

We can’t ignore the context of the Premier League table, and how Chelsea and Antonio Conte must have been gleefully sensing another rival losing ground. An eight-point gap would not have been insurmountable before New Year, but Liverpool momentum was starting to wane since Philippe Coutinho’s injury. Five points have gone since the Brazilian limped off against Sunderland.