Liverpool went into their match with Chelsea at Anfield in 2012 just three days after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to the Blues in the FA Cup final.
The showdown at Wembley was Liverpool's last chance to add to the silverware picked up earlier in the campaign when they won the League Cup, but there was plenty of pride to play for on Merseyside as Kenny Dalglish's team competed in their final home game of the season.
Both Dalglish and Roberto Di Matteo made sweeping changes to their respective lineups, with the most notable inclusions seeing Andy Carroll rewarded for his substitute display at the weekend and Fernando Torres start on his return to his former club.
After an even opening, it was Chelsea who threatened to break the deadlock through Branislav Ivanovic, but despite connecting cleanly from a corner, he could only divert the ball against Pepe Reina's post.
That was as good as it got for Di Matteo's outfit during a first half where they were blown away by the home side, with the first of Liverpool's three goals coming in the 19th minute when Michael Essien deflected a cross from Luis Suarez into his own net.
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The home crowd were urging their side to conclude their Anfield campaign, which had brought just six league wins, with a positive performance and the players were responding with a display of attacking football that saw them deservedly go two goals up midway through the first half.
Jordan Henderson had sometimes flattered to deceive during his first year at the club since a big-money move from Sunderland, but he left his mark when capitalising on a slip from John Terry to slot the ball past Ross Turnbull after sprinting clear on goal.
Chelsea were in disarray, and their long trip to the North-West soon worsened as Liverpool found the back of the net for the third time in nine minutes. Carroll did superbly to meet a corner and head it into the path of Daniel Agger, who had the easy task of nodding the ball past Turnbull from close range.
Liverpool should have extended their advantage before the break but Stewart Downing was denied on two occasions by the woodwork. He was unfortunate to see a long-range effort clip the bar, but he was more to blame for his second attempt as he struck the post from the penalty spot.
With a Champions League final just around the corner, Di Matteo would have been concerned with his team's application but his half-time team talk showed signs of having an immediate effect when Ramires, rather fortuitously, forced the ball past Reina after the Spaniard had failed to deal with a Florent Malouda set piece.
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Chelsea were beginning to enjoy a more sustained spell in Liverpool's half but their growing momentum was halted when they gifted their opponents a fourth goal that all but finished the fixture as a contest.
Turnbull's attempted clearance went straight to the feet of Jonjo Shelvey, who arrowed a precise shot from 35 yards that left the former Middlesbrough goalkeeper well beaten.
Di Matteo introduced Romelu Lukaku midway through the half but the Belgian wasted a glorious opportunity to get on the scoresheet when he could only head the ball straight at Reina from eight yards.
The final stages of the match were marred by two incidents involving Suarez and Ivanovic, but neither an elbow nor high boot from the Uruguayan was seen by the referee and Liverpool eased to the final whistle with 11 men still intact.
A defeat on the final day of the season saw Liverpool end the campaign in eighth place, while Chelsea picked themselves up from such a resounding loss to win the Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich on penalties.
