SO MUCH for Liverpool being rendered toothless.

No Luis Suarez, no drama as Brendan Rodgers’ side delivered the perfect tonic at the end of a wretched week.

It was a performance which sent the doom and gloom merchants running for cover on a remarkable evening in the North East.

They asked how a one-man team could possibly cope without the breathtaking talent of their 30-goal top scorer? The answer was emphatic as Liverpool inflicted Newcastle United’s heaviest home defeat since 1925.

Suarez may have been out of sight as he began his 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic but he certainly wasn’t out of mind.

This was a show of solidarity which spoke louder than any T-shirts. A burning desire to make up for his absence, coupled with a sense of injustice at the severity of the Uruguayan’s suspension, galvanised Liverpool.

“That was for you amigo”, read the message Lucas Leiva tweeted to his close friend after the final whistle.

Nobody is excusing Suarez’s shameful conduct but those who know the striker best refuse to give up on him and have vowed to help him combat his demons.

The support for Suarez inside the dressing room was replicated high up in the Sir John Hall Stand as the travelling Kop chanted the player’s name repeatedly.

It’s that type of unwavering backing which Liverpool hope will prove significant when Suarez makes a decision over his future this summer.

What will also boost the Reds’ chances of preventing the troubled frontman from turning his back on English football is convincing him he will be returning to a side in September capable of challenging for honours.

Saturday was a promising step in that direction. Liverpool’s biggest away win in the Premier League since they put six past West Brom 10 years ago was achieved with the most eye-catching display of Rodgers’ reign.

Of course victory must be put into context. The Reds were up against a Newcastle side who performed with scarcely believable ineptitude.

But the reality is Liverpool simply didn’t allow the struggling hosts to gain a foothold in the game as they wrestled control from the opening seconds and refused to let go.

As an attacking force, Rodgers’ men were irrepressible.

Two-goal Daniel Sturridge led the line with aplomb as he relished the extra responsibility heaped on his shoulders following Suarez’s ban. The hosts simply couldn’t handle his pace and power as the £12million man carried on where he left off against Chelsea.

Behind him was the game’s outstanding individual. Philippe Coutinho flourished in a central role as Newcastle made the grave error of gifting the young Brazilian both time and space.

It was the little magician’s finest display since his January arrival from Inter Milan and that £8.5million fee continues to look like a very smart piece of business.

Coutinho’s vision and range of passing tormented the hosts throughout and only the woodwork denied him the goal he deserved late on.

In midfield, it was total domination. Snapping into tackles and winning back possession, Lucas provided his team-mates with a platform to play.

Skipper Steven Gerrard took control and either side of him Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing wreaked havoc.

Henderson epitomised everything that was best about the Reds – invention and intelligence coupled with an unrelenting work-rate. The midfielder, who scored twice and created another, has endured some tough times at Liverpool but on his return to the North East he showcased just how far he’s come.

There was also the welcome sight of Fabio Borini making a triumphant comeback after 10 weeks out with a shoulder injury as he grabbed his first Premier League goal for the club.

The £10.5million striker hasn’t been able to come close to justifying Rodgers’ faith in him as injuries have wrecked his first season following his move from Roma. But with Suarez sidelined, Borini will be needed to help fill the void and this cameo will have provided a much needed boost to his confidence.

Alan Pardew had demanded a response following Newcastle’s previous home game when they were routed 3-0 by bitter rivals Sunderland. Trouble had flared after with 29 fans arrested, including one on suspicion of punching a police horse.

But Liverpool played at a tempo and intensity the hosts simply couldn’t live with and they led inside three minutes.

Daniel Agger timed his run and leap to perfection as he nodded Downing’s cross over Rob Elliot.

It was the Dane’s third league goal of the campaign and his first since December.

The Reds were superior in all departments and their second in the 17th minute was wonderfully crafted.

Pepe Reina’s punt was expertly laid off by Sturridge to Coutinho, who repaid the favour with a perfectly weighted defence-splitting pass. As Elliot rushed out, Sturridge unselfishly teed up Henderson for a simple tap-in.

Sturridge and Gerrard threatened to add to the Reds’ tally before James Perch wasted a glorious chance at the other end when he nodded wide from six yards.

It was a rare moment of concern with Jamie Carragher and Agger ensuring lone frontman Papiss Cisse wasn’t able to replicate the heroics which had settled this fixture a year earlier.

Pardew introduced Hatem Ben Afra and Yoan Gouffran in a bid to trigger a fightback but within nine minutes of the second half the Reds were out of sight.

Once again it was all about Coutinho as he dispossessed Ben Arfa, burst forward and played a delightful flick through to Sturridge, who fired clinically into the roof of the net.

On the hour mark the outraged Toon army stormed towards the exits in their hundreds as the region’s concerned stallions headed for the hills.

Henderson strained every sinew to get back and pick the pocket of Cheick Tiote. Alert to the opening, Henderson quickly turned and made a smart run in behind Newcastle back four.

Gerrard picked him out in style and Henderson squared for Sturridge to convert from close range. It was all so easy.

The only downside from a contest packed full of positives was the sight of Gerrard going off with a knock as the skipper’s proud record of playing every minute of every league game this season came to an end.

Borini replaced him and within seconds he had poked Downing’s pass past Elliot – breaking a goal drought stretching back to the visit of FC Gomel to Anfield last August.

Five swiftly became six as Newcastle’s humiliation grew. Full-back Mathieu Debuchy rightly picked up a second yellow for chopping down Coutinho and Henderson’s curling free-kick evaded everyone and nestled in the far corner.

Liverpool’s biggest ever win at St James’ Park took them past their total points tally for last season.

They want him back in the autumn but this was proof that there is life without Suarez.