Kai Havertz's fierce duel with Trent Alexander-Arnold ignited an inferno of fury inside the German as the two locked horns; a demon's a fifteen second origin story perfectly directed by Diego Costa.
The 22-year-old performed admirably as he spearheaded Thomas Tuchel's frontline, with his excellent movement proving pivotal in setting up each of the game's biggest chances.
Havertz, who stepped up once again in a big tie, had a finger in every pie; he was heavily involved in all of Chelsea's best attacking sequences and held his own against Virgil van Dijk, luring the Dutchman out of his comfort zone.
However, despite having walked away from Wembley empty handed, the Germany international unlocked a newfound nastiness, proving that the west Londoners have finally found the centrepiece of their attack for years to come.
Havertz's elusiveness, grace on the ball and deceptive speed handed Liverpool a difficult proposition as his clever runs occupied each of the opposition centre-halves' attention, opening pockets of space - in behind and short - for other to operate in.
While the youngster's offensive qualities stole the limelight, the German's defensive output and resilience in possession handed Tuchel's side breathing space.
In a game whereby Liverpool had the majority of possession, Havertz was efficient with his output and produced five key passes, won four aerial duels and made three clearances.
From a wider perspective, the number 29's duel with Alexander-Arnold turned the page onto a new chapter in his career as he slowly evolves into Chelsea's perfect talisman.
Havertz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 for £71m, showed glimpses of Costa in his performance at Wembley, proving why Tuchel should build his dynasty around him.
However, while Havertz's rise to superstardom is one to behold, he's become Chelsea's common denominator to success, raising questions regarding the future of Romelu Lukaku, who has struggled to integrate himself into Tuchel's 'best' system.
Following the Blues' 2-0 win over Lille in the Champions League round of 16 first leg when Havertz was opted for ahead the Belgian, the German boss hailed his homeland counterpart - almost hinting at what Lukaku needs to do better.
"I'm very pleased. Kai is very strong for weeks now, really steps up. His effort is immense, the work rate is immense, the areas of the pitch he covers for us is very, very good," he said.
"He was decisive, created chances, was involved, and was never shy of defending. We had a very aggressive high line today on the pitch with the offensive three players together.
"The formation was to have intensity, a high work-rate consistently throughout the whole match and they did all very good."
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