If this is a taste of what is to come at Anfield this season, then the patrons of the Kop might want to strap themselves in.
But when the battling qualities and reserves of character of the 10-man Liverpool have been assessed, analysed and given a smidgen of credit, this will still feel like a massive disappointment. Two points from six makes this, officially, the worst start to a season during Jurgen Klopp's time with the club.
And while there is some merit with how a depleted squad responded to going behind and Darwin Nunez's red card, there must already be serious questions of whether Liverpool are able to once more match Manchester City stride for stride at the summit of the English game.
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That might sound like foolish hyperbole to some at this early juncture, but given the slender margins that have kept Liverpool's name off the Premier League trophy in 2019 and 2022, a four-point advantage is far from ideal already.
More importantly now, though, is just how Klopp rouses the troops as he faces up to a list of injuries and a three-match suspension for Nunez, whose full debut ended in the most shocking of ways with the game less than an hour old.
It's not often that Klopp questions the attitude or application of the players at his disposal but his words at Fulham after last week's 2-2 draw were listened to, there's no question of that. But true quality deserted them when it really mattered at times as Crystal Palace got exactly what they came for.
With Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino becoming the latest to pull up with issues of their own, it's tempting to now describe Klopp's team as 'injury-hit' given the lengthening list of those needing treatment. Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas were able to return here but Klopp is still without the likes of Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Curiously, Klopp had teased in the build up to this Anfield opener regarding potential incomings, saying: "Now the situation has changed slightly: we have more injuries, that's true. But it can still only be about the right [player] and that is not easy." It remains to be seen if anything further is done but more bodies will be needed if those on the shelf are to miss a large portion of action.
The Reds pride themselves on their stability and unwillingness to panic when it comes to recruitment, but on this evidence, something needs to be done to bolster the ranks. An injury crisis is already threatening to engulf them just two games in.
After hearing demands for a new midfielder all summer, injuries to Konate and Matip have seen headaches at centre-half re-emerge. The sight of Nat Phillips making his first Premier League start since May 2021 said it all there. But it is up front where the most immediate concern is now. With Firmino potentially out injured and Jota still absent with a hamstring problem, just who will lead the line at Manchester United next week? It never rains but it pours.
Liverpool's opening half hour was generally decent enough as chances came for Mohamed Salah, Harvey Elliott and James Milner, but a familiar failing that first reared its head towards the end of last term once again surfaced.
After Eberechi Eze had escaped the attention of Fabinho, his superb through ball was clinically dispatched by Wilfried Zaha to finish off an excellent counter-attack. It was the sixth successive time the Reds had conceded first in the Premier League. Seven if you include the Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
Suddenly a lack of clear-cut chances and genuine options from the substitutes' bench looked like major concerns. Where Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino kept watch last term now housed Bobby Clark and Fabio Carvalho. It's no slight on the teenagers, of course, but a shortage of options is very evident already.
Nunez almost made it 1-1 at the death of the first period, but as he prepared to pull the trigger after bringing down Elliott's floated pass, Cheick Doucoure got a touch on it before it rebounded off the post to preserve the visitors' lead.
The Uruguayan striker still has plenty to learn in English football at the age of 23, but the first thing will be knowing not to flick heads in the general direction of central defenders. He was given a straight red for one on Joachim Andersen as his introduction to life at Anfield ended in something of a disgrace shortly before the hour mark. One suspects a short, terse conversation will take place this week between Klopp and his new £64m striker.
The Reds were back in it within minutes, though, when Luis Diaz scored what will surely be one of the finest Anfield goals of the campaign. After riding a couple of challenges from the left, the Colombian let fly from the edge of the box with a sweetly-struck effort to make it 1-1.
Klopp had spoken on Friday about the need for Diaz to turn the close shaves and near misses into something more tangible and this was the most stunning way of doing so. Instantly, the mood was transformed.
Klopp sent on Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Tsimikas as Liverpool probed for a second before Carvalho entered proceedings later on. A firmly-hit left-footed effort whistled wide in the closing stages but that was about as close as they came.
The full-time whistle was not the invitation for derision from the home support, these players have earned more respect than that, but a huge response is now needed at Old Trafford to kick-start this spluttering campaign into life. There's no better place to do it, at least.
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