This match represented so much more than an exercise in cheering up a team that had landed flat on their face three days earlier.

Yes, it was conducted in a manner appropriate in the context of the remembrance of the victims of Hillsborough and yes, it allowed Liverpool to maintain pressure on Manchester United, the league leaders, while boosting the side’s goal difference and allowing Steven Gerrard to rest his troublesome groin.

But the added and unexpected bonus was that the game provided the Merseyside club with a dress rehearsal for their visit to Stamford Bridge tomorrow for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Blackburn Rovers pretended to be the Chelsea side that won 3-1 at Anfield on Wednesday and Liverpool punished them for it.

“Having watched Chelsea — and I know we haven’t got their quality — but they had a game plan we could copy,” Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager said. “The amount of problems that [Didier] Drogba caused Liverpool’s defenders, we could also do with Chris Samba.”

No wonder Rafael Benítez thought it had been an almost perfect afternoon. “If I’d been told before the game that we’d win 4-0, then I’d be really pleased,” the Liverpool manager said. So imagine how chuffed he was to discover that Allardyce set his team up to provide the ideal recuperative exercise for a side that need to travel to West London believing that they can score four goals and not concede.

Chelsea, of course, might feel vaguely insulted that this Blackburn performance in any way mirrored their strengths, but Allardyce admitted the impersonation fell flat. It failed, he said, because his players, with the exception of Samba and Paul Robinson, forgot to be Chelsea and instead reverted to behaving like a team that could be relegated and desperately need to pick up points at Stoke City on Saturday. Allardyce will not attempt the Chelsea experiment then.

“They need to listen — that’s all they need to do,” Allardyce said of his team. “That’s what they are paid to do. None of those guys are ever going to be as good as I am at what I do, because they are only players and I am the manager, so make sure you listen to me.”

His anger was all the more palpable when set against the serenity Benítez exuded. “We needed to score goals and play well,” Benítez said. “The confidence is high, and we didn’t concede from any set-pieces against a team that is good in the air.”

Instead, Liverpool created stacks of chances and scored goals of breathtaking quality. Fernando Torres was at his lethal, audacious best when he connected with a long pass from Jamie Carragher to turn and fire past Robinson for what he termed “maybe one of the best” goals of his career. Torres was equally satisfied with his second, a strong header from Xabi Alonso’s cross. “I work hard on my heading so I was pleased with the second one,” Torres said.

Daniel Agger blasted in from distance and David Ngog headed in from inches to complete a victory that was rejuvenating rather than tiring. Torres is a headline maker and the song composed in his name is sung by the Kop more than any other, but Liverpool, even with Gerrard rested, are far from over-reliant on the Spain forward. Dirk Kuyt was given the job of understudy to Gerrard and impressed David Dunn, the Blackburn midfield player.

“Torres is such a big threat, with his running in behind you,” Dunn said. “But Dirk Kuyt is just as important. He is such an unselfish player and gives just as much to the side. He plays a number of positions and works his socks off for the team. He’s very, very good but maybe doesn’t always get as much credit as he deserves.”

And neither do the Liverpool faithful who paid their respects on Saturday to the 96 fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster with such an intense dignity that it is certain the tragedy really will never be forgotten.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): J M Reina 6 - Á Arbeloa 6, J Carragher 6, D Agger 7, E Insúa 6 -X Alonso 7, J Mascherano 7 - Y Benayoun 7, D Kuyt 7, A Riera 6 - F Torres 8. Substitutes: N El Zhar (for Torres, 74min), D Ngog (for Kuyt, 85), Lucas Leiva (for Alonso, 87). Not used: D Cavalieri, A Dossena, S Gerrard, M Skrtel. Next: Arsenal (h)

Blackburn (4-1-4-1): P Robinson 6 - K Andrews 4, R Nelsen 4, A Ooijer 4, G Givet 4 - A Mokoena 4 - K Treacy 5, D Dunn 4, Tugay Kerimoglu 5, S Warnock 5 - C Samba 5. Substitutes: A Doran 5 (for Mokoena, 46min), C Villanueva 5 (for Dunn, 60), V Grella 5 (for Tugay, 67). Not used: M Olsson, M Bunn, Z Khizanishvili, B McCarthy. Next: Stoke City (a)

Referee: M Riley Attendance: 43,466