There will be much to dissect for Liverpool when the attention turns to Manchester United early next week.
Jurgen Klopp and his players will be firmly focused only on Monday night's visit from Crystal Palace right now, but when it's time to weigh up the merits of their old rivals from Tuesday onwards, the analysis will turn up ample opportunities to exploit, no doubt.
A 4-0 drubbing at Brentford on Saturday night was further evidence of a United team whose near decade-long fall from greatness has been rapidly accelerated over the last 12 months or so. This was perhaps the nadir of it all. So far, at least.
The Erik ten Hag era has started in the most inauspicious circumstances; two games, two defeats, six goals shipped and just the one scored - an own goal. Their worst start to a season in over 100 years sees them rock bottom of the Premier League.
United, then, need a visit from Klopp's men like a hole in the head right now. At a time when they find themselves hurtling further and further away from the top of the mountain, it will rankle that the two best teams in the land are their most fierce of enemies in Liverpool and Manchester City. It must feel like something from a fever dream for the Stretford End faithful at present.
Last year's visit to Old Trafford saw Liverpool run riot as they won 5-0 on one of the most remarkable afternoons of Klopp's tenure. By half-time, scores of United's supporters had made their early exits with the visitors leading by four.
Supporters are being urged not to even show up for the first half this time around, with one social media campaign gathering momentum this week. United fan Aidan Walsh, whose @AidanWalshMUFC account has over 185,000 followers, is trying to ensure supporters stay away from Old Trafford when Liverpool make the trip in an effort to send a message to their American owners, the Glazers family.
A tweet sent out on Tuesday, which was accompanied by the hashtag #EmptyOldTrafford, has now been liked over 26,000 times and had over 5,000 retweets. United supporters have long since campaigned against their owners, who have been in charge since 2005, although recent years of underachievement on the pitch have only heightened the frustration.
The decision to stay away will probably be made easier by the paucity of Saturday's display and the potential for a repeat of last October's 5-0 shelling by the FA and Carabao Cup holders. Although, it is unlikely that the most watched fixture in world football will be played with an empty home end, despite the intentions of those demanding further protests at the Glazers.
At a time when Liverpool and United feel worlds apart from each other in so many departments, it was interesting to hear Red Devils legend Gary Neville take aim at the Glazers at full-time of Saturday's dizzying defeat in west London.
"The embedded failure over a 10-year period and where the club are currently at has to come back to the ownership," Neville seethed, as he stood pitch-side of the Brentford Community Stadium. "I blamed (former CEO) Ed Woodward for a long time, but the reality is the Glazer family left him in situ when he shouldn't have been left in situ in charge of the football side. I think Ed would have done a good job on the business side.
"They've still not dealt with the football operation; they've still not dealt with the players and the recruitment department; they've still not dealt with the stadium, which is rusting and needs massive money spent on it.
"Manchester United need £1billion spent on it in these next two or three years to either rebuild or renovate that stadium. They probably need another £500 or £600m for the training ground and other infrastructure projects and football investment. They've only got £40m or £50m left in the bank. They were cash-rich three years ago, they had £350m in the bank. They've no longer got that money left in the bank, something is going to have to give soon. Very, very soon."
While there are some questioning the wisdom of Liverpool's lack of spending on a new midfielder before the close of the transfer window, the criticism of the Glazers at least puts Fenway Sports Group's virtues into full focus. Such gripes are only minor when weighed against the decline of United.
For all the frustration that inevitably swirls around every single transfer window regarding a perceived lack of transfer activity, those decisions are ultimately made by the key personnel in the biggest roles within the club itself.
Perhaps FSG's biggest strength during their time at Anfield has been their ability to recruit the best people for the most sizable jobs. From the decision to aggressively pursue Klopp as their manager in October 2015, to the foresight to give Michael Edwards the title of 'sporting director' - and replace him with his successor, Julian Ward - all the way to the ongoing growth of the club off the field through the work of CEO Billy Hogan and his team, FSG have not made the same mistakes of their American compatriots at Old Trafford.
From Ed Woodward, Matt Judge and now John Murtough overseeing years of flawed recruitment to the succession of managers since Ferguson stepped down in 2013 - a figure that now stands at six, including Ralf Rangnick - it's clear the Glazers have not tasked the right people with the most important roles. Fair-minded critiques of FSG cannot argue the same.
Liverpool represent everything United are miserably pining to be in 2022; a forward-thinking, self-sustainable club with stadium expansion projects that will eventually house a world-class football operation capable of challenging for the biggest honours in English and European football.
The two clubs have arguably never been further apart in the 21st century.
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