The Manchester City fans couldn't help but revel at the sight of the team that has done more than anyone to thwart their questionable domestic domination of recent years hitting a rough patch.
"You're getting sacked in the morning!" chanted the gleeful Etihad crowd as Liverpool were sent tumbling to a dire defeat that has cast further doubt over their Champions League qualification aspirations.
They were, of course, referring to Jurgen Klopp, whose agitated demeanour on the touchline - even if it didn't stretch as far as telling the opposing players how good Liverpool's goal was - reflected the calamity that was unfolding in front of his disbelieving eyes.
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There's no chance of Klopp being jettisoned any time soon, even if Premier League owners are becoming increasingly trigger-happy. His predecessor at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers, is the latest testament to that having been given the boot by Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
The same, though, cannot be said for some of the Liverpool players who would have been forgiven for feeling the barbs raining down from the home stands should really have been directed towards them, such was the underwhelming performance during a second half in which the Reds effectively waved the white flag.
Klopp insisted last week the fate of his present squad wouldn't be determined by one or two results, preferring instead to assess the bigger picture. Some defeats, though, sting more than others, and the manner of the capitulation on Saturday alarmed observers who haven't been keeping a keen eye on developments at Anfield since last season's Champions League final.
The City loss won't be quite as seismic long-term as some other pivotal games in Liverpool's history. Back in 1970, for example, Bill Shankly realised it was time to break up his long-serving squad when they lost an FA Cup quarter-final at second division Watford and subsequently began building the team that would go on to glory that decade. Much more recently, losing the European finals in 2016 and 2018 illustrated to Klopp what needed to be done next.
But with the Reds still having a job to do over the last 11 games of the season in attempting to claim a top-four place, Klopp cannot afford to be too critical for fear of losing the dressing room. He needs his squad onside. Yet it's obvious time is running out for a number of players at Anfield - of the five players introduced from the bench at City, three are due to leave when their contracts expire in a few months.
Liverpool were always due a revamp this summer, but the travails of this season have forced the recruitment team into a rethink.
While the naysayers would suggest otherwise, there has been an ongoing evolution in recent years that has required several big-money signings, with Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all brought in since the title was won in 2020.
The obvious next area of improvement is the midfield, which will be addressed in the forthcoming transfer window, with Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund having been the main target for some time. But it has become increasingly clear more work will be required than perhaps was anticipated. Throw in the possible lack of Champions League funds next season and Liverpool, like most clubs, will have to cut their cloth accordingly.
Then it may become a question of which is more prudent: follow up the groundwork done over many months and strongly pursue Bellingham for a fee probably in excess of £100m and risk being left short elsewhere, or step away from the England international and instead invest energies in signing two high-quality midfielders for the same outlay.
That decision can only be taken once all the pieces fall into place in terms of where Liverpool finish in the Premier League and the realistic availability of possible targets. It explains why there are so many names on the Reds' not-so-shortlist, the latest of which is Chelsea's England international Conor Gallagher. If there's a young, potentially available midfielder, they will almost certainly have been given some thought by the Liverpool recruitment team. Open minds may be required if the required players are to be embraced.
But the performance at City on Saturday did little to quell the feeling hardly anybody is safe in the current Liverpool squad. The next two months won't just decide where the Reds finish this season - they will go some way to determining who will still be around when the next campaign begins, regardless of who eventually is signed. These are intriguing times at Anfield.
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