The Reds got their pre-season off to a pulsating start with a 4-2 win over Sunderland at Geodis Park in Nashville - but the scoreline barely told the half of it. While Anfield's new boss, Andoni Iraola, will have been pleased to see his side produce some scintillating football, concerns about Liverpool's defensive depth are unlikely to subside anytime soon.
Kieran Morrison (19) got the party started with a stunning finish in the opening minutes, before Dominik Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa added their names to the scoresheet in the second half. Sunderland thought they'd levelled the game, but Liverpool's attacking prowess ultimately proved too much for Regis Le Bris' side - as Lewis Koumas netted the Reds' fourth.
But it was the injury suffered by Joe Gomez that really stole the show. The veteran centre-back hobbled off just 10 minutes in, leaving a makeshift duo of teenagers - Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe - to try and shore up the back four. While their £1m and £2.5m price tags respectively might suggest they're part of Liverpool's long-term strategy for central defenders, it was a stark reminder that Iraola has some serious work to do in this area.
With Virgil van Dijk set to return to pre-season training on Merseyside next week, the pressure is already mounting on him to pick up where he left off last season. And with Giovanni Leoni still nursing an ACL injury and Ibrahima Konate having made the blockbuster move to Real Madrid, it's going to be a tough road ahead for this Liverpool defence.
The attendance of 24,897 at Geodis Park - a capacity that was only 30,000-strong - might have been due in part to ticket prices that ranged from £96 to £292 for the pre-season friendly. But both teams were missing some key players, with World Cup finalists Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz among those absent for Liverpool.
Summer signing Jeremy Jacquet, meanwhile, was given a precautionary rest by Iraola - but he's expected to play a part before the tour concludes with a showdown against Leeds in Chicago next Sunday. The reliance on young, untested defenders like Ndiaye and Ndukwe is already proving a major headache for the Anfield hierarchy.
It's time for Virgil van Dijk to step up and lead by example once again - as he did so admirably last season. With Gomez out of commission and Konate gone, it's going to be a massive challenge for the Liverpool defence in the months ahead.