Liverpool's seven-match winning run came to an end at the hands of Aston Villa on Saturday.
But despite the disappointment at being held to a 1-1 draw, the Reds' formidable current form is a far cry from their fortunes a matter of months ago, when talk of Jurgen Klopp's 'seven-year itch' plagued the conversation.
Klopp is one of the great Liverpool managers, uttered in the same conversation as the likes of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, and as a result, there are always critics lying in wait, praying for a slip-up.
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During the early days of his career at Anfield, the German was accused of not knowing how to win finals after arriving on Merseyside on the back of losing his last three. That run continued with the Reds, following defeats to Manchester City, Sevilla and Real Madrid, before he ended that sequence after seeing his side beat Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final.
Last season, Liverpool came close to creating history as they chased an unprecedented quadruple. They played in every game possible and were in contention to manage a feat no other team had ever achieved. However, after winning both domestic cups, Pep Guardiola's City side pipped them to the Premier League title and Vinicius Jr's goal was the deciding factor in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.
This season has been far from ideal for the Reds as they quickly fell off the pace in the Premier League after beating City to win the Community Shield. Hopes of challenging for the English top-flight crown quickly faded as they struggled to match the high expectations they had set themselves.
Prior to arriving in the Premier League, Klopp enjoyed fruitful spells with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. During his time in the Rhine, he converted from player to manager to help Mainz survive in the German second division before leading them to the Bundesliga for the first time.
His time with the Black Yellows was equally successful as he led them to top-flight glory and adding silverware in the form of the DFB Pokal. Klopp also guided Dortmund to their first Champions League final since 1997, only to ultimately fall short to rivals Bayern Munich.
Coincidentally, after seven years at both clubs, his and their fortunes took a drastic turn for the worse. Most famously, Klopp's final season at Signal Iduna Park saw Dortmund sitting precariously in the relegation zone at Christmas, before they recovered to finish seventh.
Few saw something similar happening at Liverpool after Klopp signed a new contract in April 2022 that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2026. However, cracks began to emerge from the very first game of this season and the 'seven-year itch' theory surfaced again, which Klopp, himself, rejected at at time at what was arguably his lowest ebb at Anfield.
"I will not and I cannot go," he told reporters in February, with the Reds 10th in the Premier League.. "I’m responsible, I have too much responsibility and I want it, and I want to sort it.
"These are difficult times, but it’s a little bit like, I don’t enjoy it, but we could show in this difficult time that, even then, this club is so special, because we believe in everything.
"If people believe in me, then we have to go through this together, because when we come out we will have great times again. Maybe the difficult times are a bit too long already, for me as well.
"I knew this would be a difficult season. If we had five or six more points then it’s still not a great season, but we can talk about Champions League, stuff like this. Now we are that far away, not even you ask me about it anymore, thankfully," he continued.
"That makes it really difficult, but I don’t think about these kind of things, I’m here and 100 per cent committed. If we win I feel like I was part of it, if we lose I feel 100 per cent responsible.
"I was always like this in my life, so you can imagine how big the responsibility that I feel at the moment is. We will do absolutely everything to get through this and prepare for a very positive future again."
Klopp has been proved right. While the draw with Villa means it would take a remarkable set of results for Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League, they are ending a difficult campaign on a 10-match unbeaten run. The turnaround cannot be overstated.
Nor can the fact there have been some memorable wins along the way - 9-0 at home to Bournemouth, 7-0 at home to Manchester United, 7-1 at Rangers, 1-0 at home to Man City and 6-1 at Leeds United. Plus the thrilling comeback in the 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal that dented the Gunners' title aspirations.
In fact, if there is anything seven-related for the Reds this season it's nothing to do with the 'itch' and more to do with the seven-match winning run they have just produced that ensured they barged their way back into contention for Champions League football, which not too long ago, looked a dream.
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