Although Liverpool's Champions League charge would ultimately end in heartbreak, Trent Alexander-Arnold 's emergence in the 2017/18 campaign has proved to be one of the highlights of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Then a teenage defender, Alexander-Arnold announced himself on the scene with his first senior goal at the very start of the season, burying a free kick against Hoffenheim in Champions League qualifying.
This helped Liverpool reach the tournament proper, setting in motion a run to the final with no shortage of brilliant fixtures which live on in the memory.
The 5-0 victory at Porto in the last 16 and the 5-2 thrashing of Roma in the semi-finals were breathtaking but the pick of the Reds' European performances that season came against Manchester City in the quarters.
In one of the most ruthless and aggressive displays witnessed at Anfield in recent years, Liverpool struck three times in the first 31 minutes to put one foot in the next round and stun City, who were the runaway leaders in the Premier League at the time.
Alexander-Arnold had established himself in the starting XI in the month or two before the fixture but there were lingering concerns over his defensive attributes leading up to his clash with Leroy Sane.
The German winger was in phenomenal form and the likes of Marcus Rashford and Wilfried Zaha had recently had joy down Liverpool's right flank in league contests.
However, Alexander-Arnold rose to the task seamlessly and played the full 90 minutes as Liverpool kept a clean sheet against a star-studded attack containing the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva as well as Sane.
At the other end, a stunning first-half flurry containing Mohamed Salah's opener, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's stunner from range and Sadio Mane's header practically put the tie to bed.
Reflecting on the match, Alexander-Arnold confessed he felt City may have targeted him in the Liverpool XI due to his inexperience and youth. "I guess Man City looked at it and [felt] I'm the weak link," the Englishman said.
"Maybe that gave me that underdog mentality and I tried to prove them wrong. I wanted to show them I'm not the weak link in the team.
"It was a different test for me. It was a bigger, harder test. I had to play to a better level than I've probably ever played before. It tested me to a new level."
Having come out on top in his battle with Sane, Alexander-Arnold kept his place in the starting XI for the second quarter-final leg, which the Reds won 2-1, as well as the fixtures against Roma and the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the final.
He would go on to win Liverpool's Young Player of the Season award and break into the senior England squad, while his importance for Klopp's side would only grow in the years which followed.
Alexander-Arnold has blossomed into the Reds' most creative player and he is leading the assists table in the Premier League this campaign with 11 in 26 appearances. Nonetheless, the old concerns about his defensive solidity remain to this day and his one-versus-one ability was called into question again after his run-in with Arsenal hotshot Gabriel Martinelli in March.
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Alexander-Arnold will face another stern test on Sunday, when he could come up against Phil Foden or Jack Grealish in what is being billed as a potential league-deciding clash at the Etihad.
Liverpool were dealt a major boost last week as the Merseyside native returned to training ahead of schedule having suffered a hamstring injury last month. He appears all but certain to start against City and could make his return to action in midweek for the first Champions League quarter-final leg against Benfica.
As well as his 11 assists in the Premier League, Alexander-Arnold has set up his teammates on three occasions in five European appearances this season.
The Reds have been imperious on the continental stage, winning all six of their group games and overcoming Italian champions Inter Milan in the last 16. Such is their quality, there is even growing hope an unprecedented quadruple could be clinched - and this weekend's encounter with City could prove to be vitally important in the hunt for all four trophies.
And while Alexander-Arnold may have felt he was pinpointed as Liverpool's "weak link" four years ago, Pep Guardiola will now regard him as one of the key threats he must nullify.
