When it ended, it left every Liverpool fan cringing, wondering what had hit the players as they slogged to the undeserved 0-0 draw early yesterday morning (Singapore time).
So abject was their performance against Standard Liege in the Champions League qualifier, that the seasoned campaigners were made to look like novices.
Instead, it was the Belgian club which came so close to embarrassing Rafael Benitez and his star players at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium.
Liverpool were hopeless.
Standard were better than expected.
It was a combination potent enough to see Benitez hit the roof.
For 90 minutes, Liverpool were pathetic. No finger-pointing exercise would apply here.
Only goalkeeper Pepe Reina had his pride intact after the game.
The players were hapless in defence, sloppy in midfield and clueless in attack.
The central defence pairing of Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher was shaky throughout, as they struggled to cope with the high balls pumped into the penalty box.
Full-backs Andrea Dossena and Alvaro Arbeloa never managed to cope with the pace and power of the Standard attackers.
The midfield was missing the influence and authority of the unfit Steven Gerrard, whose introduction in the 67th minute minute was too late to turn the tide.
Damien Plessis looked unsure and lacked the necessary maturity to handle a European game, while Xabi Alonso was a pale shadow of his former self.
One suspects that the on-off transfer of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa might have unsettled the Spanish midfielder.
But even Barry's arrival would have done nothing to help matters yesterday, as it was not quality that Liverpool lacked, but rather drive and focus.
CAPABILITIES
With the midfielders playing several notches below their capabilities, Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun included, forwards Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane were always going to struggle.
And struggle they did, as the close attention of the Standard defenders put them off their games.
So disappointing was Keane that when he was substituted midway through the second half, it must have come as a relief.
Even in terms of fitness, the Liverpool players seemed to be way behind their counterparts.
Mysteriously, they also lacked the focus that they are usually noted for.
No wonder Rafael Benitez looked so furious. It was miraculous that he did not start frothing at the mouth.
The poor performance was not a result of a lack of new signings.
Neither should they have been affected by the absence of three players turning out for their countries in the Olympics - Ryan Babel, Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano.
The performance of the players did not do justice to the quality they still had in the line-up despite those missing players.
If not for Reina's heroics - he stopped a certain goal and saved a penalty - Liverpool could, and should have lost.
The fans have every right to expect more.
But Liverpool fell woefully short of the target.
As it is, there are still many questions about this Liverpool team, and not that many answers yet.
