MOMENTS AFTER THE full-time whistle, Jurgen Klopp made his way to the corner to show his appreciation to the travelling Liverpool fans.
He patted the badge on his jacket, limply raised his fist in the air, and blew out his cheeks.
In a matter of seconds, he then turned away and made his way down the Old Trafford tunnel for the final time as Liverpool manager.
He looked like a beaten man, somehow.
Understandable given the nature of this dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
It was a game in which Liverpool should have been at least four goals up, rather than just Luis Diaz’s one, by the time that Bruno Fernandes struck a sensational chip from just inside the centre circle to draw the home side level on 50 minutes.
When Kobbie Mainoo then curled a delightfully cushioned shot into the top corner 17 minutes later, Liverpool were somehow staring defeat in the face in a game where they had once been in complete control and creating chances at will.
Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai (twice), Diaz, and even Conor Bradley will rue not finding the net in the opening 45 minutes.
Darwin Nunez had a shot blocked three minutes into the second half and moments later, Fernandes capitalised on Jarell Quansah’s misplaced pass just inside his own half to produce an incredible moment that kick-started the rest of the mayhem.
Mainoo stepped up to add to it and just when it looked like Liverpool’s race was run, Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Harvey Elliott in the box and Salah calmly sent Andre Onana the wrong way.
Klopp should have been buoyant in front of those few thousand Kopites in the corner at the end of it all.
His trademark, raucous, fist-thumping celebration should have been beamed into homes around the world. It should have been ready to cut and clip and use on social media.
It should have been the promo video used to send Liverpool rampaging into the final leg of what is sure to be a thrilling title race.
Somehow, Liverpool are not top of the Premier League after a quite incredible encounter at the home of their biggest rivals. Instead, they are only second behind Arsenal on goal difference, and champions Manchester City are just one further adrift on 70 points.
And yet if Liverpool don’t win the Premier League in Klopp’s final season, this was the day the dream died as what should have been a resounding, inspirational victory now feels like something entirely different.
There was no injury-time drama this time around, at least. All of the chaos came in the first 90 minutes instead.
Can anyone really be surprised by what has happened to these two teams since their 4-3 St Patrick’s Day thriller?
United have been burned by so many false dawns in the decade since Alex Ferguson departed, but even by their standards of mediocrity, the last two games have highlighted the glaring deficiencies that have blighted their season.
This draw really only served to reinforce the problems that Erik ten Hag must contend with.
Whether he will get the chance to try and put things right next season is an altogether different question.
Had United not thrown away a 99th-minute equaliser against Brentford last weekend, and then somehow contrived to lose 4-3 to Chelsea on Thursday, when they led going into the 10th minute of second-half injury time, then the Dutchman might well have been able to point to Amad Diallo’s late goal last month as the catalyst for a dramatic conclusion to a season that has failed to show any kind of progress or substance.
On another day, like when Liverpool scored five at Old Trafford and seven at Anfield, this could have easily had a similar look.
Yes, there have been injuries for Ten Hag, and the fact that academy graduate Willy Kambwala had to start alongside Harry Maguire at centre back again illustrated this, but it feels as though United’s problems run deeper than that.
Ironic given one core criticism is that some players don’t run enough.
They may very well lift the FA Cup at the end of May but could anyone really point to that success as proof of a club on the right path?
This performance didn’t.
The arrival of minority owners INEOS to take control of the football operation will bring a new focus and different approach to achieving success.
But it will be ultimately defined by whether United once again become champions of England.
Their fans reminded Liverpool supporters in Old Trafford that their tally stands at 20 compared to 19 of Anfield, but Klopp’s parting gift after eight-and-a-half seasons in charge might well be a second title to equal that total.
After losing to United last month, they responded by beating Brighton 2-1 at Anfield having fallen behind early on.
In midweek, the sheer class of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister helped shred the anxiety of the title race with a stunning strike from the edge of the box to retake the lead against a stubborn Sheffield United.
Both of those victories came in front of their own fans.
Had Liverpool been far more clinical, this would have been a statement at the home of their biggest rivals. Instead they will remember this as one filled with regret.
There could be far more come the end of the season.
