Before Jose showdown

have been on the visitors from Portugal.

Instead, for swathes of this sleepy occasion, Porto seemed content to become the first team in memory to try to protect a five-goal deficit.

To be fair, they did have the game’s first accurate strike on goal, Majeed Waris stretching Loris Karius, a keeper who seems to be developing fresh confidence with each start.

That is probably why Klopp decided against giving Simon Mignolet an outing. Momentum.

That must have been the reason Mane and Firmino had to do a shift apiece, although the latter’s lasted little more than an hour, probably the time you would have thought Klopp’s attention turned exclusively to the Old Trafford engagement in three days’ time. If they did, he confounded most people by sending on Mo Salah but maybe he was just keeping his main man ticking over.

Salah (left) duly produced opportunities for both James Milner and fellow substitute Danny Ings, who was denied by Casillas in what might be the final Champions League appearance of one of Europe’s most decorated players.

In his cameo, Salah probably carried the most creative threat of the night but that was hardly an accolade.

Because in truth, everyone could have gone home after the handshakes and the daft anthem.

Liverpool’s mission had long been accomplished, now for something livelier on Saturday.