In the exhaustive search to try and transform Liverpool's season, Jurgen Klopp might just have found it in the most simplistic way imaginable.
Any victory over Manchester City can never truly be described as comfortable, but the manner of the goal that won it at Anfield was jarringly straightforward.
There was nothing to separate England's two best sides of the last five years as the game crept into the final 15 minutes, but after a Manchester City free-kick had nestled safely into the Alisson Becker bosom, suddenly it all changed.
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One long, incisive punt up field was aimed at Mohamed Salah and in a flash the Reds were in business. Liverpool 's No.11 rolled Joao Cancelo with ease and carried the ball virtually the length of the City half unopposed before calmly slotting past Ederson. Anfield, as you might expect, erupted.
It could very well be the moment that morphs what has so far been a wretched, injury-laden, confidence-bereft campaign into something filled with hope once more.
Having spent most the season toiling out wide, Salah has been forced to listen to the hype and the praise that has been aimed in the direction of Erling Haaland, City's monstrous summer signing who already has 15 goals to his name this Premier League campaign.
They have been the kind of plaudits usually reserved for Salah: The garlands now being laid in front of the giant Norwegian were the ones spread around the magical feet of Egyptian 12 months ago as he made the case for being the world's finest footballer on a week-to-week basis.
For a variety of reasons - some understandable and a few more perplexing - Salah has not quite hit those heights since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in February. But after registering a six-minute-and-12-second, history-making hat-trick on Wednesday at Rangers in the Champions League, he saved his most decisive contribution for here; dispatching past Ederson to potentially turn around the entire season.
He now will have Robbie Fowler in his sights as he aims to become the top scorer for Liverpool in the Premier League era. Eight more will see him make more history at Anfield and you wouldn't back against him making short work of that long-standing record now, either.
But it would be wrong to overly dwell on the match-winning efforts of Salah as to a man Liverpool stood up to be counted at a time when many had bizarrely already written this off as another damaging defeat before a ball had been kicked.
From Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk - who rolled back the clock to 2020 when their rock-solid partnership won Liverpool the title - through to Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara, Klopp's players were superb. And a special mention too for James Milner, who ensured Phil Foden was largely kept under wraps as he filled in once more on the right side of defence.
The veteran Milner was given a tough examination by the gifted young England star in this fixture 12 months ago, but he was excellent here as he filled in for Trent Alexander-Arnold. His performance in an unfamiliar role at the age of 36, against one of the league's leading lights no less, speaks volumes about his enduring character and quality.
In a first-half devoid of any major opportunities for either side, Jota headed tamely at Ederson from Harvey Elliott's cross before the Liverpool youngster couldn't quite sort his feet in time on a counter-attack involving Salah before Nathan Ake snuffed it out.
Up the other end, Kevin De Bruyne's cross was headed at Alisson from Haaland after Ilkay Gundogan's scuffed volley had brought out the first save of the day for the goalkeeper.
If the first period was the high-quality phony war, the second exploded into life within five minutes. Salah missed a golden chance to make it 1-0 before City thought they had scored down the other end through Foden. After bundling it in, however, the celebrations were cut short following a VAR review from referee Anthony Taylor that showed that Fabinho being fouled by Haaland during the buildup.
It was the moment of drama that Liverpool supporters needed. Taylor's 'television screen' gesture that officially ruled out the goal was the signal to send up the Anfield roar which sparked the Reds into life. Guardiola's wry assertion that "this is Anfield" when asked as to why he felt the goal was ruled out was a typically dry and sarcastic response from the Catalan.
Klopp sent on Jordan Henderson, Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho for Firmino, Fabinho and Elliott and within minutes Salah's was haring down on Ederson.
Klopp was then sent off for an angry reaction at fourth official Andy Madley after Salah was not given a foul when Bernardo Silva had climbed all over him near the touchline. It's the first time the manager has been dismissed in seven years, giving you an indication as to just how furious he was with the decision that didn't go his team's way.
A lively cameo from Nunez could - and should - have brought the second that sealed it, but the home side were forced to withstand six minutes of added time before one of the loudest noises heard at a full-time whistle in this old stadium for some time.
After building on the 7-1 blitzing of Rangers in midweek with the biggest and best performance of the campaign to date, this simply has to be the week that turns Liverpool's season. There is no alternative.
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