It was not pretty, it was not particularly impressive, it was probably not even deserved but how fitting that Mohamed Salah should be the decisive figure in this match.
With one of his scruffiest goals, Salah helped make sure Jurgen Klopp could celebrate a match of memorable landmarks with a victory - no matter how little consequence the triumph has. One hundred Champions League games as a manager and his 400 matches in charge of Liverpool - and for well over 80 minutes, it looked like he could be marking those achievements with another worrying result and performance.
But from a rare corner, a Darwin Nunez header was spat out by keeper Alex Meret and Salah, who has been the most important player in Klopp’s Anfield career, pounced from close range. And when Meret spilled another header from a corner - this time from Virgil van Dijk - Nunez himself grabbed an unlikely second.
Not that these late strikes, which could not stop Klopp’s side from finishing as runners-up to Napoli, will camouflage Liverpool’s concerns. Because let’s face it, this was about more than who finished where in the qualification section of Group A.
This was about Klopp’s reaction to a period of scrutiny he has not experienced for some considerable time. There were even some wild rumours in Germany that promoted Klopp’s agent to tell a television station that his client had no intention of resigning his Anfield post. Things have been bad but not that bad.
As the odds against Liverpool finishing top were long whatever team Klopp fielded, there were some suggestions he might give a good few of his front-liners a rest ahead of Sunday’s trip to Spurs. But although he made some changes, the Liverpool manager clearly wanted a reaction from his players, wanted an Anfield crowd to find the faith again.
Unfortunately, the contest was almost half an hour old before the home support had a serious shot to applaud, Thiago’s effort extravagantly pushed away by Meret. Not that Napoli were super-slick and ambitious, although in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, they have a serious talent.
The Georgian was the last person Trent Alexander-Arnold wanted to see during his prolonged spell of indifferent form. Alexander-Arnold is no slouch but Kvaratskhelia - Kvara, to his mates - went past him as though the right-back was a training cone. Kvara’s cavorting down Napoli’s left flank was, to be honest, one of the few intriguing aspects of a desperately dull first half.
When Curtis Jones released Salah just before the break, a spot of excitement beckoned but not only did the Egyptian miss, he was also flagged offside, which pretty much summed up most of what had occurred previously.
Not that Liverpool’s first-half mediocrity should have been much of a surprise - ahead of this fixture, they had led after the opening half in only five of their 19 games this season. In a good few of those matches, they have not improved too much after the interval. Ditto here.
And they were fortunate that a ridiculously long VAR review decided Leo Ostigard was marginally offside when heading home a Kvaratskhelia free-kick. Mind you, the three minutes spent waiting for the decision were possibly amongst the most exciting of the match. That was until Salah and Nunez forced in those late loose balls to give Liverpool the victory.
It was not pretty, it was not particularly impressive … but at least it put a smile back on Jurgen’s face.
