Liverpool made it a Merseyside monopoly as they strode back to the summit of English football for the first time in more than two years. These are early days for manager Graeme Souness' red revolution but the signs of a bristling return to former glories were ominous as his team leapfrogged local rivals Everton at the top and cruelly underlined newly promoted Swindon's struggle to adjust to life in the fast lane.
Barnstorming centre-half Neil Ruddock, Souness' 2.5 million pound buy from Tottenham, scored his first league goal for Liverpool to end Swindon's early promise of an upset. But it was Steve McManaman, the leggy, local discovery on the left wing, who sealed the result with a pair of smartly-taken goals either side of half-time.
Swindon, brave and combative and still full of the good intentions implanted by former manager Glenn Hoddle, found themselves on the end of a comprehensive defeat - their third in a row - after Ronnie Whelan and substitute Mike Marsh drilled home emphatic shots from the edge of the box in the final 20 minutes.
And new boss John Gorman is left looking up from the foot of the table under no elusions already about the size of his task to keep the Wiltshire team afloat in their first Premiership season. It could have been so different had his 250,000 pound former Wolves striker Andy Mutch accepted the early chances he was given to make a glorious debut. In only four minutes, Mutch hesitated over a through ball from Nicky Summerbee which sent him clear to the edge of the Liverpool box and allowed goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar to race out and dispossess him.
Then Norwegian striker Jan Aage Fjortoft put a spectacular overhead shot just wide when Mutch nodded down John Moncur's cross and Mutch rammed another opportunity beyond the far post after swooping in on another opening provided by Moncur.
Swindon were left regretting their wastefulness when in the 18th minute, the powerful Ruddock muscled his way into the six yard box, knocked down a free-kick from Stig Inge Bjornebye and forced the ball home. McManaman, jeered relentlessly by the home crowd who felt he made a meal of the foul by Summerbee that lead to the free-kick, popped up unmarked on the end of Steve Nicol's low cross to slot in Liverpool's second goal in the 36th minute.
There was no way back for Swindon after that, especially losing the influential Moncur through injury early in the second half. McManaman skipped past two challenges to register a third goal with a measured shot over 'keeper Fraser Digby just after the hour.
Even after Whelan and Marsh added further punishment in the 70th and 80th minutes there were ample opportunities for Liverpool to grab more goals in what had already become a rout. Delighted Souness said: "We can only get better." The Anfield boss added: "I have some of the best players in the country and if they have the desire we have a chance in all three domestic competitions this season." But Souness said: "Why is everybody talking about a revival? The time for that usually comes after Christmas."
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