As far as the FA Cup's traditional curtain-raiser goes, Liverpool and Oldham Athletic almost delivered a great advertisement with one of the most entertaining third-round ties.
But the furore which has plagued Anfield for the past two-and-a-half months and left the club embroiled in conflict with the Football Association threatened to rear its ugly head once more.
An altercation in the 80th minute between Tom Adeyemi and fans at the front of the Kop brought the Oldham defender to tears and has left Liverpool facing a potential groundhog day.
It will inevitably overshadow a night when the hosts finally ran riot as Craig Bellamy delivered another sparkling performance which flew in the face of his perennial detractors.
The veteran striker inspired a victory which secured Liverpool's place in the fourth round as well as a fitting present for manager Kenny Dalglish on his first anniversary.
Sunday will mark exactly 12 months since the Scot abandoned a luxury cruise to rush to the aid of an ailing football institution and usher in what eventually became the club's rebirth.
There can be no doubt that it is still a project which will have its fair share of transition but the FA Cup could prove a remedy to their currently precarious domestic ambitions.
Champions League qualification may be a distant possibility but no finer tribute could be paid to the late Gary Ablett, who was afforded a minute's applause before kick-off, than winning a competition which Dalglish won twice during his first spell as manager at Anfield.
Following a week of off-field animosity aimed towards the club as they finally came to terms with Luis Suarez's eight-game ban, football was again allowed to take prominence.
Dirk Kuyt flashed a near-post header over Alex Cisak's crossbar after Bellamy had dribbled down the far right-hand side while Luca Scapuzzi went close at the other end.
Shefki Kuqi should have given the visitors the lead as he dispossessed Sebastian Coates and jinked past Jamie Carragher, but could only blast his close-range effort into the side netting.
A corner from Robbie Simpson saw Adeyemi's header almost nestle in the top right-hand corner of Pepe Reina's net as the League One side matched their hosts blow for blow.
But Oldham began their ascendancy as Chris Taylor exchanged a neat one-two with Scapuzzi before firing wide, much to the relief of a struggling and fully-changed Liverpool defence.
Bellamy struck a well-drilled free kick from a wide-left position which found Kuyt but, again, the gesture fell short as the Dutchman could only glance the ball over the crossbar.
Simpson struck a 30-yard half-volley, which evaded Reina's clutches, after receiving a Dean Furman through ball to send the travelling fans, 6,132-strong, into raptures as they sensed the first potential upset of this FA Cup third round weekend.
Oldham also took the lead in their previous visit to Anfield, in October 1993, before succumbing to two late goals; and it was only a matter of time before Liverpool replied tonight.
With Bellamy starting, however, Liverpool's creative hub was never gong to be stifled and two minutes later, he drew the hosts level albeit in uncharacteristic circumstances.
The Welshman recorded his name on the score sheet for a second consecutive Friday night at Anfield as his abdomen deflected Jonjo Shelvey's wayward shot into the net.
Cisak almost gifted Liverpool the lead as Maxi Rodriguez deflected his weak clearance into the path of the advancing Kuyt but the goalkeeper recovered well to spare his own blushes.
But Adeyemi felled Maxi in the area from a Gerrard cross with the Reds captain allowed to duly despatch the ensuing spot kick with a crossbar-rattling effort on the stroke of half time.
Having been compounded by a James Milner effort at Manchester City on Tuesday night and after missing four penalties this season, Liverpool were overdue luck from the 12-yard mark.
Bellamy was once again the home side's live wire once again as he latched onto a Kuyt knock-down from a Reina goal kick but saw his effort fly over the crossbar.
One minute later he was on the offensive again, this time feeding Kuyt with a low cross whch was blocked just six yards from goal as fears of a recurring theme almost surfaced.
Shelvey's pass freed Bellamy once more as he saw another ball across the face of goal unanswered, this time by Maxi but momentum was clearly with the home side.
Martin Kelly's header from a Gerrard corner required heroics from Cisak with an incredible stop but another of the club's young guns would soon find the net with his first goal
Bellamy was once again the architect as he fed another goalmouth cross which Shelvey converted from close-range to give Liverpool a two-goal cushion and a safe passage.
The midfielder's goal scoring prowess during his loan spell at Blackpool earlier this season ensured that he would inevitably continue in a similar vein upon his Anfield return.
Andy Carroll also scored his first goal since the end of October with a stunning half-volley from the edge of the area to extend the advantage further.
The £35millon price tag which lingers over his head will continue to be debated but his penchant for rifling half-volleys has fast become a trademark of his scarce scoring career.
He should have had another two minutes later after Downing executed a pin-point cross which he headed over as the four minutes of added time began to tick down.
Downing recorded his first goal for the club by ramming home from close range after Cisak did well to save Jon Flanagan's shot to cap off an eventually clinical performance for Liverpool.
The score line may have flattered Liverpool but it seems largely irrelevant given that the sight of on-loan Norwich right-back Adeyemi being restrained and comforted by team mates and opposite number Gerrard will unfortunately dominate most, if not all of tomorrow's headlines.
LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Coates, Aurelio (Flanagan 71); Spearing, Gerrard; Bellamy (Downing 75), Shelvey, Maxi; Kuyt (Carroll 87). Subs not used: Doni, Henderson, Adam, Skrtel.
OLDHAM (4-4-1-1): Cisak; Adeyemi, Diamond, Mvoto, Lee; Scapuzzi (Parker 54), Wesolowksi (Morais 74), Furman, Taylor; Simpson (Smith 74); Kuqi. Subs not used: Bouzanis, Tarkowski, Black, Mancini.
Goals: Simpson (28), Bellamy (30), Gerrard (PEN 45+1), Shelvey (67), Carroll (89), Downing (90+4)
Booked: Adeyemi
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Attendance: 44,556
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