A title was deferred, a relegation was confirmed and somewhere in the middle of it all was Trent Alexander-Arnold, neither in nor out and teasing possibilities until the end.
Because what comes next for him? Is he off? The conventional wisdom sides with the whispers and the whispers talk with some clarity about Real Madrid.
But then he had his big moment here, whereby he stepped off the bench for his first game in five weeks and within five minutes he had won it.
What followed was pure fuel for those who hunt for hope in body language – first he burst into a sprint for the corner, then he whipped off his shirt and flew into a knee slide, before finally he stood, arms outstretched and screaming, in front of the Liverpool fans.
They had travelled in the slim ambition of a coronation – Arsenal beating Ipswich had killed that one before kick-off – but left with the slight feeling, probably misguided, that maybe all is not as it seems with the local boy who wants away.
Was it the celebration of a man who has opened himself to second thoughts? Or was it merely a passionate staging post in the long goodbye?
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score Liverpool’s winner against Leicester City
The Foxes’ return to the Championship has been confirmed after failing to claim victory against the Reds
Former Liverpool midfielder Conor Coady thought he’d given Leicester the lead when he headed in from close range
That leads to guess work, which ought to be conditioned by the manner in which Alexander-Arnold swerved post-match questions on his contract. But if one thing was certain, it is that he still cares deeply for the club he joined as a nine-year-old. By extension, those who insist his heart has already checked out were proven to be talking garbage.
But that might be as far as it goes. A surprise and a plot twist? Liverpool supporters might have to settle for their man scoring his 23rd goal for the club via his left foot, after each of the previous hits came from his right. In doing so, he succeeded in this game where 27 other Liverpool shots had failed.
Indeed, this was one of those matches that spoke of dominance in all areas beyond scorelines. And yet it was also one characterised by the denial of a second-half goal for Conor Coady at 0-0 when the VAR called a dubious foul against Patson Daka for the offence of a moderate shoulder-to-shoulder with Alisson Becker. Given the goalkeeper is 6ft 3ins, it would be reasonable to ask for the umpteenth time if some protections go too far.
With that goal disallowed, Leicester lost their shot at a miracle.
As such, down they go for the second time in three seasons. And what a whimper it has been, with the single benefit that they did not have to watch another club celebrate a title on their patch. For Liverpool and Arne Slot, the next opening will come on Wednesday, if Arsenal lose against Crystal Palace.
But it is inevitable, surely. And so too the inquests at Leicester.
Assessing how bad they have been is a conversation that can veer off in all manner of directions. For a number of their fans, it was summed up by the light aircraft that flew by the stadium prior to kick-off, trailing the bluntest of messages: ‘King Power Clueless. Sack The Board.’
Not much more needed to be said, really. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Steve Cooper dismissal back in November, the Ruud van Nistelrooy era has been dire. No bounce, no hope, no sparkle and only fleeting signs of fight from his players.
The Englishman was stunned by the referee’s decision to call for a foul in the build-up to the effort
VAR swiftly confirmed the on-field decision, which effectively ended all hope for the home side
Mohamed Salah spurned a number of presentable chances for the Premier League leaders
In silent moments, he must cast his mind to that promising caretaker spell at Manchester United and wonder about the existence of parallel universes.
If there was anything to be said about his reality, it is that Leicester turned up here. Small mercies, maybe, but they fought, they chased, they kept the score goalless for the first half.
We might caveat that by pointing out Mo Salah struck two posts with one shot inside three minutes and a variety of Liverpool chances came before the break. But it was competitive.
The clearest illustration came shortly after that Salah chance, when Stephy Mavididi twisted Conor Bradley into losing his bearings and squared for Wilfred Ndidi. After a touch to nudge the ball from his feet, Ndidi rolled low against the base of the frame.
In isolation, that was as good as it got for Leicester. Blimey, it was as close as they have come to a league goal here since December 8, but Mavididi did at least maintain his upper-hand on Bradley.
With Alexander-Arnold back on the bench after his ankle injury, and presumably in flight before long, it is inevitable that Bradley will draw extra attention. Going too far in that direction would be a disservice to the fine season he has had – he has proven himself dependable – but this was a duel where he was regularly beaten in dangerous spots.
As for his team-mates, it was awkward without being too challenging; possession-heavy without being effective. In the latter regard, that traces to the form of Mads Hermansen – across the remainder of the first half he made decent saves from Salah and twice off Cody Gakpo.
The chances escalated to a flood after the break, with Hermansen managing a routine save to block Dominik Szoboszlai and a brave one to keep out Kostas Tsimikas, before Salah went wide off Liverpool’s 20th shot of the afternoon.
Arne Slot was rewarded for his decision to throw on the right back as his side chased a goal
Liverpool could claim a record-equaling 20th top-flight title with victory over Tottenham next week
Slot’s response was to throw on Diogo Jota for Gakpo and Van Nistelrooy hooked off Jamie Vardy. The old fella had barely managed a touch.
The risk of a sucker-punch felt non-existent at this point, but briefly materialised when Coady headed Leicester in front. The VAR stepped in to show Daka’s shunt on Alisson. It felt soft to those watching; it probably felt soft against Alisson’s body, too.
The implications became clearer when Alexander-Arnold, who had been brought on for Bradley, stepped in to settle it.
The goal was similar to the story of the game, with Salah and Jota hitting the post and bar respectively in the frenzy of an uncleared Tsimikas corner, before Boubakary Soumare headed out to Alexander-Arnold.
With a big swing, he offered another reminder of why they’ll miss him if those whispers are right.
