Liverpool went into the Merseyside derby with Everton in 2012 on the back of a dismal run of form in the Premier League, with just five points being won in eight games since the turn of the year.
Their results were in stark contrast to those of their rivals, who had conceded just four goals in a period of seven fixtures without defeat before they made the short trip to Anfield.
It was an evening of anniversaries in Liverpool with Steven Gerrard making his 400th Premier League appearance for the Reds, while Everton boss David Moyes saw the match mark his 10th anniversary with the club after moving to Goodison Park in 2002.
Moyes would have been hoping for a strong start from his side, but they were quickly penned back in the opening stages as Liverpool attempted to involve Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll at every opportunity, but it was Jordan Henderson who nearly netted an early opener when he saw his effort superbly blocked by Jack Rodwell.
A minute later, Everton almost silenced Anfield after Leighton Baines had done terrifically down the left to create a chance for Steven Pienaar, but the South African midfielder could only blaze his shot over the crossbar.
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The Toffees were matching their hosts, but Suarez remained a constant threat for the home side, and the Uruguayan's first significant attempt on Tim Howard's goal saw a volley well kept out by the American.
With the match moving past the half-hour mark, Everton would have been pleased with their work, but that was undone 11 minutes before the break when Liverpool took the lead through Gerrard, who capitalised on Howard moving from his goal to lob the ball into an unguarded net from the edge of the penalty area.
Everton came close to eradicating that disappointment with an instant equaliser, but Denis Stracqualursi could only head straight into the hands of Pepe Reina after a wonderful delivery from Baines.
Liverpool doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half thanks to the industrious work of Suarez, who battled past Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka before setting up Gerrard to power the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.
The goal saw Moyes make a triple substitution in an attempt to galvanise his side, but despite pushing their opponents back inside their own half, the Toffees were unable to create a clear opportunity on goal.
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It looked increasingly likely that their chance had gone as Liverpool slowly began to dominate possession and take the sting out of a derby that had surprisingly seen just one caution throughout the opening 70 minutes.
Suarez continued to look for just his second goal in 2012, but an attempt at an elaborate finish inside the area saw the ball go yards wide, while Jose Enrique saw a long-range strike saved by Howard.
The scoring appeared to be over after Rodwell wasted a chance for a consolation for Everton, but deep into added-on time, Liverpool capped off a solid performance with a third goal as Gerrard completed his hat-trick from close range after Suarez had unselfishly played a return pass to the midfielder after he had moved into the penalty area.
Liverpool's triumph failed to act as a catalyst for the remainder of their campaign as six defeats in their final 10 games saw them finish eighth in the league table, while they narrowly missed out to Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Everton responded to their defeat at Anfield with a further setback against Arsenal, but they restored local pride by finishing ahead of their rivals in the standings after remaining unbeaten in their final nine fixtures.
Darren Plant
