Liverpool basked in the most unlikely, most glorious, most breathtaking of comebacks when they overturned Barcelona's 3-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League semi-finals tie in 2019, going on to win the title.
Jurgen Klopp was the architect in the early phase of his illustrious reign at Anfield, but after many years of success, the German failed to replicate the feat on his final, bleak night in Europe as Liverpool manager, with his flat side winning 1-0 in Italy but failing to overturn a three-goal deficit after Atalanta thrashed the Reds on Merseyside one week ago.
Gian Piero Gasperini's team were oiled and intent on subduing Liverpool, who led through an early Mohamed Salah penalty but failed to muster up more than the traces of their usual creative expertise.
It's a worrying sign heading into the late stretch of the campaign, with just six more matches awaiting and the urgency for results in the Premier League now paramount, having been defeated against Crystal Palace at Anfield last weekend and ceding ground in the title race to imperious champions Manchester City.
Many individual performances left much to be desired but the faltering form of talisman Mohamed Salah is really quite alarming for a team searching for a leader.
Mohamed Salah needs to return to form
The way things are going, Klopp is heading for a bitterly unfitting conclusion to his service as Liverpool manager, picking the outfit up when fallen by the wayside and sculpting it into a high level before regressing last term.
While last summer's sweeping changes to the midfield had revived the club, secured the Carabao Cup back in February and seen Liverpool fire across all cylinders before the recent collapse, things now look decidedly grey.
There is still every chance that Liverpool can hit a late-season purple patch; the quality is there and has been evidenced for the lion's share of the campaign. That said, Salah will need to pick himself up after struggling to impress lately.
Last night, writing in his post-match ratings, the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle branded the Egypt international with a joint-lowest score of 5/10 despite Salah scoring the sole goal of the match. Doyle said: 'Tucked away the early penalty confidently but guilty of bad miss before half-time and made too many wrong choices. Worrying downturn in form continues. Subbed.'
For a world-class and long-established Premier League forward, who has scored 24 goals and supplied 13 assists in all competitions this season, his struggle has been stark, especially at this time of great need, for a leader and for an attacking talisman, given the damaging recent wastefulness.
Minutes played
66'
Goals
1
Penalties scored
1
Touches
36
Accurate passes
20/29 (69%)
Shots
2
Big chances missed
1
Key passes
0
Dribbles completed
1/2
Duels won
1/5
Salah is still one of the deadliest attacking players in Europe, ranking among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and the top 1% for assists per 90, as per FBref, but he simply isn't showing it yet.
The 31-year-old will almost certainly provide Liverpool with goals over the coming weeks, and with Trent Alexander-Arnold fit and firing once again, he might just have the elite creative support to succeed.
Why Trent Alexander-Arnold could be Klopp's hero
There's a gnawing sense of dread within Liverpool supporter circles that Alexander-Arnold's head has been turned by the allure of potential suitors Real Madrid.
The Anfield vice-captain is out of contract in 2025 and will wave goodbye to Klopp, the man who handed him his professional debut, having forged a tight friendship with Three Lions teammate and Los Blancos superstar Jude Bellingham, having recently cited Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane as his idols, alongside Steven Gerrard.
This all sounds very pessimistic, and in fairness, there is every chance that the 25-year-old signs new terms and leads the new era at his boyhood club, where he has been instrumental in conquering the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup and restoring Liverpool as a major player on the continent.
But while such fears have yet to be allayed, Alexander-Arnold hardly failed to demonstrate his commitment quality on his first start after injury, impressing with his ball-playing skills and positivity in possession, taking 90 touches, finding peers with nine long passes, creating one key pass, succeeding with two of three attempted dribbles and providing an extra dimension that can hopefully now be built on, as per Sofascore.
Doyle thought that Alexander-Arnold's display called for a 7/10 score. Not the greatest, but an illustration of his importance, writing: 'Making his first start in more than two months, won the early penalty and passing caused real problems for Atalanta defence. Got away with one dozy bit of defending, however, and understandably tired a bit later on.'
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The hope is now that the England international will rediscover the emphatic form from earlier in the campaign; while he lost the ball 29 times against Atalanta, the 25-year-old's willingness to make things happen shone.
Like Salah, he is one of the elite players of his position, ranking among the top 1% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, shot-creating actions and passes attempted, the top 2% for progressive passes, the top 9% for successful take-ons and the top 15% for interceptions per 90.
Having chipped in with two goals and nine assists from 31 appearances this season, the £180k-per-week phenom boasts the tools to provide the likes of Salah with unwavering creativity and hopefully give him – and Liverpool's other forwards – the confidence to rediscover goalscoring form and chip away in the last phase of Klopp's Liverpool career.
The race for silverware is not over yet.