The sound of referee Stuart Attwell's final whistle piercing the chilly, blustery Anfield night air arrived as blessed relief for those of a Red persuasion on Wednesday.
Liverpool had been made to struggle throughout the second half by a West Ham United side who made the most of the conditions and tiring legs of Jurgen Klopp's side to almost snatch a Premier League point.
But there was one player who suffered more than most for the home team during a difficult second half. And he didn't even appear until 12 minutes after half-time.
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Certainly, the outing from the bench of Fabinho didn't have the impact Klopp would have intended, the Brazilian presumably introduced for Thiago Alcantara in the hope he could help plug the gaps that were appearing for the visitors and add extra energy to the midfield effort.
Instead, Fabinho appeared more leggy than any of this team-mates, a clear yard off the pace and regularly caught out, either by a lack of anticipation or uncharacteristically poor positioning. His display was underlined by the statistics. Fabinho was dribbled past twice, successful in only one of his three attempted tackles with just Kostas Tsimikas having a lower pass completion rate for Liverpool. Indeed, the second time the midfielder was shown a clean pair of heels by his opponent, there were audible gasps around Anfield.
That, though, has been the tale for the Brazilian for a worrying number of outings this season, his travails in some way encapsulating those of a strange campaign thus far from Liverpool, impressive in spells but then dismally way below his best in others.
When Fabinho plays well, Liverpool play well, such as against Manchester City last weekend. But the fact is that hasn't happened anywhere near often enough for the 28-year-old this term. The Reds' 'lighthouse' has been hitting the rocks.
Why? There are a number of factors at play. It's worth remembering Fabinho missed three games towards the end of last season - including the FA Cup final - with a thigh issue, and clearly wasn't 100% going into the Champions League final.
He has always been slow to get started during the pre-season preparations, and the quick turnaround between campaigns and the short warm-up programme instantly put him at a disadvantage. Throw in a collective drop in form, and circumstances have worked very much against the midfielder.
Then there is the recent change in approach with a defensive midfielder - very much Fabinho's domain during his Anfield tenure - replaced by a double anchor. Fabinho can take a little time to adjust to positional changes, although it's hardly one that is hugely alien to him.
Rather, though, the relentless schedule and a number of injuries in midfield has prompted Klopp to rotate his resources between Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho, with the Brazilian benched for three of the last five games, a policy that is likely to continue up until the break for the World Cup. It has been difficult to find rhythm of late.
And Qatar is where Liverpool will perhaps hope the midfielder can rediscover his mojo. Fabinho is expected to be part of the 26-man Selecao squad for the forthcoming tournament, even if he has only an outside chance of being a regular starter.
A change of scenery and a chance to work on regaining sharpness and fitness without consistent exposure to action could be what is required, even if the emotional intensity and strain of being part of a Brazil squad will surely take its toll. The flip side to that, of course, is the fillip he would receive if Brazil, one of the favourites, go on to lift the World Cup. Look at the transformation in Sadio Mane after his Africa Cup of Nations success earlier this year.
Regardless, Liverpool will hope Fabinho soon rediscovers his verve on a regular basis. With such a busy second half of the season post-Christmas, they need their lighthouse shining bright once again.
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