It was an unhappy Wembley return for Liverpool as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat by Tottenham.
Two strikes within the first 12 minutes from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were enough to put Mauricio Pochettion’s side firmly in the driving seat.
Mohamed Salah staged a brief comeback for the Reds with a clever finish after a Jordan Henderson through ball allowed him to take aim.
But a calmly-taken volley from Dele Alli on the stroke of half time ended an opening 45 minutes in which Liverpool had ended the slightly stronger.
Things did not improve after the break as Kane doubled his tally and added Spurs’ fourth when Simon Mignolet failed to properly deal with a cross.
Here were the key talking points from Wembley:
Unlikely duo show Lovren how to defend
Dropped in at centre-back midway through the first-half, Joe Gomez could have been the one Liverpool playr forgiven for looking a little nervous.
However it was quite the opposite for the young defender as he filled the void when Jurgen Klopp hooked Dejan Lovren after conceding two sloppy goals.
He appeared assured all afternoon and offered Harry Kane little look-in, saved for a rebound which broke kindly for the Tottenham striker in the second half.
Comparitively, Joel Matip, along with Lovren, struggled to keep up with the balls in behind and counter attacks for as long as they were both on the pitch.
It was telling in the second half that Spurs were unable to hammer Liverpool’s goal as freely with Gomez and Emre Can providing an astute partnership.
If Lovren is set for an inevitable period on the sidelines, this unlikely duo could prove a perfect antidote to their side’s current defensive displays.
The Croatia International was nothing short of abysmal during his time on the pitch and Gomez, in truth, looked the stronger of the two in that position.
Mane needed back ASAP
The return of Sadio Mane cannot come soon enough for Liverpool.
Bereft of clear cut opportunities and ideas, only Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah showed any kind of intelligent runs and passes at Wembley.
However it did feel like a vital cog of the Reds’ forward line was missing.
Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain found it difficult to gain a proper foothold in the game and in the end offered very little down that left-hand side.
If Liverpool find themselves challenging for anything this season, it will no doubt be when Salah, Coutinho and Mane are all fit and in the side.
Results predictably suffer when they are not.
More questions of captain Henderson
In the past few games, particularly away from home, Liverpool’s performances seem to carry a distinct lack of genuine leadership.
Jordan Henderson is often found wanting at times when a big tackle or shout at his team mates is urgenly required to properly motivate them again.
At times, his play reflects that lack of cohesion and leadership and, apart from assisting Salah, did very little else than pass the ball sideways for the rest of the game.
This kind of lack of direction is arguably among the catalysts for this season’s dire results, and it finally may be time for Klopp to change something.
There are not many current contenders to take over the armband from Henderson with only Coutinho appearing to be close to the required level.
Mignolet still not good enough
Weekly complaints about Simon Mignolet seem almost par for the course.
Loris Karius will have looked on from the sidelines and wonder how just how bad his own goalkeeping blunders have truly been by comparison.
Mignolet’s shakiness was evident again as he gifted Kane his second of the afternoon and stumbled to almost every ball fired in his direction.
A few clever saves aside, the Belgian stopper is still far beyond the required standard for a top four club and leaving Klopp again longing for January.
Mignolet even had the same expression of disbelief and low confidence that Lovren showed after a mistake he made in the first half led to a goal.
That depth of confidence and dejection is something Klopp needs to stamp out sooner rather than later – or at least find someone to take the reins.