by Richard Buxton. Published Tue 15 Feb 2011 18:25, Last updated: 2011-02-15
It is already being talked about as the latest turning point in Liverpool's history.
For Kenny Dalglish and Frank McParland, witnessing the under-18's emphatic 9-0 win over Southend was an encouraging sign that their labour of love was beginning to bear fruit.
But the man truly responsible for this renaissance was not in attendance at Anfield.
From the comfort of his Wirral home, Rafael Benitez will no doubt have kept tabs on last night's events, possibly sporting his signature grin, after laying the foundations for what is already shaping up to be an incredibly bright young future for the club.
His predecessor, Gérard Houllier, had often overlooked the Academy since its 1998 opening on account of his belief, on the back of their World Cup triumph that summer, that France would lead the way in European football.
But most of the 'French gems' he touted as the next generation's answer to Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane are now languishing back in Ligue 1 and of the £40million needlessly wasted on these 'talents', only two have remained in the Premier League.
The cost of Houllier's native obsession was far greater than the needless price tags he paid for the likes of El-Hadji Diouf and Bernard Diomede, as the Academy production line which had produced Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen dried up.
Liverpool's ability to build successful teams had long been established on a strong local nucleus, but the current Aston Villa manager's attempt to use Clairefontaine's alumni as a substitute for Kirkby's developing pupils delivered incredibly underwhelming results.
However, during a difficult final season as Reds manager, Benitez not only repaired the fractured relationship between Anfield and Kirkby, but strengthened it beyond expectation.
Although he had made a lot of the same mistakes as Houllier, unlike his predecessor, he learned from the error of his ways and after years of fighting battles in the boardroom, he was finally allowed to restructure the system following Rick Parry's departure.
Dalglish's return was long overdue, after almost two decades of being constantly overlooked by the club, and his presence as the key figurehead of operations was an encouraging signal of intent as was McParland's re-appointment following his Bolton sabbatical.
But it was the capture of José Segura and Rodolfo Borrell, both key figures in overseeing the development of Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi during their time at Barcelona's La Masia academy, which proved to be the masterstroke that kick-started Kirkby's revolution.
All but two of the 14 players who featured last night rose through the ranks during Benitez's tenure including man-of-the-match Raheem Sterling who, having turned down Manchester United and Arsenal to join the Reds, hit five of those nine goals with steadfast confidence.
It was also Benitez, beginning his short-lived spell at Inter Milan, that convinced Spanish wonder kid Suso last summer to snub Real Madrid's overtures to join Liverpool.
Even as the goals continued to flow, Borrell's meticulousness as he oversaw proceedings from the touchline was incredibly Benitez-esque, as is his continued pursuit of perfection from a side that has netted 52 goals in 17 games this season.
But eight months on from his acrimonious departure, Liverpool are now starting to reap the rewards of the true Benitez legacy.
