There was almost a feeling on inevitability on Saturday night when Crysencio Summerville scored a dramatic late winner at Anfield.
The 20-year-old's 89th-minute strike snatched a 2-1 win for Leeds and left Jurgen Klopp to ponder on another poor Premier League result for Liverpool. The Reds are ninth in the table - 15 points behind leaders Arsenal - and have just four wins to their name this term.
Liverpool almost seem to have lost that relentless, fighting spirit they've shown on so many occasions. Klopp's side are famed for refusing to give in - and need to regain that attitude if they're to finish in the Premier League's top four this season.
Much was expected of Klopp when he was appointed by Liverpool in October 2015. He won two Bundesliga titles during his time at Borussia Dortmund and Reds fans were hoping he would transform their struggling team into Premier League title challengers.
Klopp's never die attitude was evident within weeks of his arrival on Merseyside, as Liverpool recorded a famous 5-4 win against Norwich at Carrow Road. Most teams would've given up after Norwich made it 4-4 in the 92nd minute - but not Klopp's side.
Adam Lallana popped up to score a winner with the last kick of the game and trigger huge celebrations on the bench. Even Klopp's glasses were smashed in the joyous chaos. He didn't care, though, as it was the first of many memorable wins for the German.
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Later that season, Liverpool found themselves 4-2 down on aggregate to Dortmund - Klopp's former club - in the Europa League quarter-finals. Goal difference meant the hosts needed three goals in the last 30 minutes at Anfield to reach the next round.
Somehow, though, the Reds managed it. Then, in May 2019, they overturned a three-goal deficit against Barcelona to reach the Champions League final. It was another remarkable comeback - and one that caught Jose Mourinho's attention.
"For me, this [comeback] has one name - Jurgen," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "This is about him. This is a reflection of his personality don't give up his fighting spirit, every player giving everything. He's not crying because he's missing [injured] players, he's not crying because they're playing 50 or 60 matches a season. Today is about Jurgen's mentality.
"This is not about tactics, not about philosophy. This is about heart and soul and fantastic empathy he has created with that group of players."
And it takes something special for Mourinho to talk about Liverpool like that. After all, this a former Manchester United manager who was at the centre of a fierce rivalry between the Reds and Chelsea during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
As such, it begs the question - where has that mentality gone? Klopp labelled his team the "mentality monsters" after they won the FA Cup in May, yet the Class of '23 are currently sitting in the shadow of last season's cup-double winners. Klopp will be desperate for Liverpool to regain their mental strength ahead of the second half of the campaign.
