Burnley finally ended Liverpool’s unbeaten Premier League home run.
Jurgen Klopp’s side slipped to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of Ashley Barnes’ 83rd-minute strike from the penalty spot after being fouled by Alisson Becker.
Thursday’s result brought down the curtain on a record of 68 home league games without a defeat for the Reds that stretched back almost four years.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Reds surrender more than fortress
Late winning goals at Anfield scored by a player wearing the no.10 shirt called Barnes automatically evokes fond memories for Liverpool. Or at least it did.
A less joyous image will now be burned into the minds of Liverpool fans after seeing their side slip to their first Premier League home defeat since 2017.
This was a moment that was always on the horizon, especially in a season where the previously improbable became reality in behind-close-doors games.
But the aftershocks from Burnley’s first win in the red half of Merseyside since 1974 will potentially drag on into the weeks ahead for the ailing champions.
Liverpool did not just surrender their Anfield fortress when Ashley Barnes drilled home his penalty. They also waved the white flag in the title race.
Just six points separate Jurgen Klopp’s side from Manchester United at the summit yet they do not appear capable of even buying a win at the moment.
Confidence is shot in all departments and it will take something monumental to put the Reds back in serious contention to successfully defend their crown.
Front three switch changes nothing
Klopp took a calculated risk in rotating Liverpool’s attack for the Clarets’ visit.
His logic was two-fold; with an FA Cup showdown against Manchester United up ahead and needing to discover an antidote for his side’s toothless attack.
Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri flanked Sadio Mane in lieu of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who were afforded an initial watching brief.
By the time the inglorious milestone of surpassing 400 minutes without a league goal arrived, however, Liverpool were forced to revert to Plan A.
Salah and Firmino’s dual introduction in the 57th minute proved as ineffectual as the men they replaced in Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.
Even Takumi Minamino’s first outing since last month’s demolition of Crystal Palace offered nothing other than more questions about his Anfield future.
The Japan international’s limited minutes merely added further confusion to an attempted change-up which actually changed nothing for Liverpool.
Klopp’s window of opportunity closing
Muddling through has become the story of Liverpool’s season so far.
Some things, though, cannot be masked by sticking plaster solutions as Burnley demonstrated in bypassing their hosts’ defence at regular intervals.
Until Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez make their heralded returns, the centre-back conundrum is one which will continue to proke an intense debate.
Neither are likely to be involved before the current campaign ends, and the temporary axis of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho has enjoyed mixed success.
Henderson’s own absence with a groin problem disrupted the defensive stability with Fabinho and a returning Joel Matip caught on the back foot.
Klopp has options at his disposal to try and fix the problems of an inconsistent backline, not least with Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips both ready to step in.
If showing greater faith in the academy duo is still considered premature, sourcing a competent back-up in what remains of the January window.
Whichever he chooses, the Liverpool manager needs to act swiftly.
Bedlam at the break
Most teams take a much-needed breather after the first 45 minutes of a game. Clearly Liverpool and Burnley did not receive that particular memo.
Mike Dean’s whistle signalled an unleashing of fury between both sets of players after Fabinho was booked for a rash challenge on Barnes.
Andy Robertson came to blows with both Ashley Westwood and Robbie Brady while Klopp and Sean Dyche exchanged words as they walked to the tunnel.
Amid the chaos, Dean attempted to keep all the players on the pitch while VAR ran the rule over Fabinho’s original challenge which sparked it all.
The technology deemed no violent conduct on the Brazilian’s part but the sheer bedlam that it had caused enlived an otherwise dull opening half.