If ever it was time to dust off the old mantra of not reading too much into pre-season results, then this was it.
For the second time in succession, a 4-0 hammering was meted out in this most storied of fixtures between Liverpool and Manchester United. Only this time, it was Jurgen Klopp's men who were forced to suffer through a tortuous 90 minutes or so. Rather the Bangkok Century Cup than the Premier League, at least, eh?
For a club whose PR slogan in recent times has been 'This Means More', it was United for whom this game in the Thai capital represented something more valuable. Instead, a meeting that was quite literally years in the making is one that will be forgotten very quickly from Liverpool's perspective.
MATCH RECAP: Look back on our updates of how Liverpool defeat to United unfolded
READ MORE: Liverpool player 'ratings' as Fabio Carvalho good and Isaac Mabaya lively against Man United
The contrasting positions the Reds and United find themselves in right now in the Premier League was acutely illustrated in the two team sheets that were published about 90 minutes before kick-off at the Rajamangala Stadium.
For Klopp, it was a chance to give relative unknowns like Isaac Mabaya and Luke Chambers a run-out in an XI that also included Nat Phillips, Tyler Morton, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.
A smattering of more senior stars like Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Jordan Henderson helped bring up the level of experience, but the starting line-up left no-one in doubt as to Klopp's thought process, despite the identity of the opposition and the passion of those inside the Bangkok stadium itself, those die-hards who viewed this as anything but an exhibition game designed to build up fitness and momentum.
They had waited years to see their heroes in the flesh once more, but a first visit to the region since 2017 fell flat. If the Liverpool team sheet wasn't enough of a screeching siren over how Klopp looked at this fixture, the Reds boss had used 21 players before the first half was even close to ending.
For Erik ten Hag, the latest manager to be tasked with the great Old Trafford restoration project, he saw the opportunity slightly differently as United took to the field with what could reasonably constitute their strongest XI without a wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo and an injured Harry Maguire.
If confidence levels need to be lifted after a harrowing campaign that resulted in their lowest-ever Premier League finish of sixth, then this was the chance to help that process along considerably against an experimental Reds team.
United were already a week ahead of Liverpool in terms of pre-season preparation, beginning work on June 27. For context, Mohamed Salah was still enjoying a break in Mykonos and was three days away from signing his new Anfield contract on the Greek island, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk were no doubt excitedly looking ahead to their weekend plans that included a trip to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
For United, there is patently no time to waste as Ten Hag aims to get them back on some sort of even keel this coming campaign. Klopp can relax in the knowledge that fitness and momentum are the only things needed to be built up this summer as they get set for another pursuit of the game's biggest prizes.
So while the result is understandably not easily digested by Liverpool's fans - not least the thousands at the game itself - it should not have any definitive or sweeping conclusions made from it. Nor should it have come as a real surprise given United's advantages.
There were still valuable cameos for the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk, among many others, while Darwin Nunez was able to lead the line for around 30 minutes in the second period. Liverpool are attempting to readjust somewhat to a new style of play with the Uruguay international up top, and it might take some getting used to given the different profile of 'No.9' that has typically been utilised by Klopp over the last six years.
Defeat will hurt on Tuesday night, but that stinging sensation won't be a lasting once for the Liverpool squad as they prepare for another all-Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday in Singapore.
It is only after that, however, that the real work begins for Klopp and his staff as attention turns to the European leg of the pre-season festivities. United needed this more given they are once again pressing the giant reset button under Ten Hag, but they won't have it this easy the next time these two giants of English football meet on August 22.
READ NEXT:
