It would broaden the fabric of reality to call events of the past week Liverpool’s darkest hour.
But whatever you think of that hard-earned spot in Everton, events since that bad-tempered clash have made the Anfield landscape a little bleak.
Virgil van Dijk’s injury could have serious consequences for Jürgen Klopp and his ambitions this season.
There is apparently no replacement for the £ 75m colossus and his potentially end-of-season knee injury will no doubt weaken the champions in the future.
That’s an unfortunate truth that Liverpool has made to swallow.
For many, Van Dijk is one of the best mid-halves to turn out to be for a club that has had a fair share of it over the years.
The ACL operation is now awaiting the Dutch captain, and an already worn-out defense is facing life without him at a time when the calendar will be overflowing with games.
But while fans are complaining about the gray days they might expect, maybe Liverpool’s lighthouse can brighten the scene?
It was already a strange campaign for Fabinho in Anfield.
The Brazil international, who stayed on the bench for the first game of the season at home in Leeds, could only watch Marcelo Bielsa’s bold upstart slash the Reds defensive rearguard.
However, he had a groundbreaking influence from the bench when he won the penalty kick brought home by hat-trick hero Mohamed Salah.
Eight days later, Fabinho was on the side again, but this time at the heart of a defense, he hoped he didn’t have to use his talents straight away.
After Joe Gomez and Joel Matip were excluded, Liverpool’s tower was moved backwards next to Van Dijk and as a result immediately targeted, not least by the jet heels Timo Werner.
The versatile Monaco ex-man, who turned 27 on Friday, did an excellent job keeping Chelsea’s big purchases in check in the 2-0 win.
Although Fabinho is primarily a defensive midfielder, his particular skill set encouraged Klopp to stay away from his center-backs in the market.
The Liverpool boss may not have envisioned a scenario where he would be without Talisman Van Dijk for so long, but in his absence it’s time for others to take responsibility.
For Matip, the first thing he has to do is to prove that he can play regularly. An injured hit in 2020 means he has only completed 90 minutes once in over a year.
For Gomez, the personal challenge is to rediscover the form that helped make Liverpool’s defensive setup virtually impregnable between December and January of last season, when only two goals were scored in 12 first-team games.
And for Fabinho, the glove may be a little more stacked as he continues from game to game without really knowing where his square pin will go.
One thing is clear, however: the 27-year-old is already prepared for what he will have to do in the coming months.
“It’s not easy, but I have to do a little what Virgil always does – talk to the team and try to lead,” he said after showing a near-flawless performance in the Champions League win over Ajax.
“Of course I’m not Virgil, but I’ll do my best and I’ll do my best.”
As Fabinho says, he is not Virgil van Dijk. Nobody in world football can claim to be on a similar level.
But Liverpool’s “beacon” – a phrase first coined by co-boss Pep Lijnders – is poised to take Klopp’s side home.
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