A youthful Liverpool side fell to a meek defeat against Union Saint-Gilloie to close the play in their Europa League group phase, but Jurgen Klopp will lose no sleep having previously topped the group and issued much rotation.
Having rested various key personnel ahead of three home clashes within seven days – Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League and West Ham United in the Carabao Cup – this was a prudent move that will likely pay off, with the players unscathed.
That said, Liverpool still lost and looked pretty drab in doing so, failing to muster any offensive cohesion and struggling to stop the home side's waves of assault, with Cody Gakpo unable to produce the talismanic performance he might have hoped for.
Cody Gakpo's performance vs USG
Now, it's somewhat unfair to lament Gakpo harshly; after all, established he may be but the Dutchman received scant support from his midfield and wide-placed teammates.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old was anonymous and didn't find pockets of space from which he could build, influence play and create some sense of attacking fluency for his springtime peers.
As per Sofascore, the £120k-per-week dynamo unleashed just one blocked shot all evening, failed with his one attempted dribble, was dribbled past himself and lost the ball 12 times despite only taking 38 touches.
With the Premier League clash against United now looming, he hardly proved that he is the man to occupy the focal front spot ahead of Darwin Nunez, who is erratic but dynamic and determined.
Again, Gakpo was starved of service for most of the affair and while he flattered to deceive, it's hard to heap all of the blame on his feet even if he will be disappointed with his involvement; the youthful Reds just didn't click in this dead-rubber match.
Of the younger crop, few impressed and while the match was a valuable experience as they look to rise to the fore, right-back Conor Bradley certainly failed to leave any semblance of a positive impression on Klopp after a tough test.
Conor Bradley failed his big test vs USG
Bradley, aged 20, is considered a big prospect by those on Merseyside and has seen his seasonal progress stifled by a back injury sustained way back in pre-season, only just returning to match action.
Up against the ferocious Mohamed Amoura, who scored and assisted in a stunning individual effort, Bradley was dribbled past three times but did win six of his 13 duels, which isn't bad by any stretch.
Also losing possession 18 times, the Northern Irish starlet was in the thick of the action and took 74 touches, succeeding with two of his three dribbles, improving somewhat after the break.
GOAL's Peter McVitie was not too pleased with the young full-back's display, branding him with a 4/10 match rating and noting how he failed to contain the electric Amoura, who completed all five of his dribbles.
McVitie said: 'Beaten for pace one too many times as he pushed high up and reacted slowly as Saint-Gilloise attacked.'
Perhaps there was a bit to criticise, but then maybe there was even more to praise for a player returning from injury with much potential, thrown into the mix on a testing evening in a role that prompted him to emulate Trent Alexander-Arnold, moving into the midfield in possession.
Liverpool lost, but that's not the main talking point here; Klopp's side are on the top once again, and a tough test in Belgium made for the perfect ground to provide some exciting talents with a platform to hone their craft.
