It was a case of different competition, same old Liverpool as the holders slumped to a 3-1 defeat by Swansea, a result which knocked them out of the Capital One Cup following another lacklustre home display.
The defending champions went into the match eager to forget the derby game against Everton at the weekend which saw all three points cruelly taken from them in the dying seconds of their 2-2 draw, following a controversial disallowed ‘goal’ by Luis Suarez.
Manager Brendan Rodgers must have hoped for a positive reaction and result against the club he left only five months ago. Although the reception from the visiting fans was a warm one, the home support will surely now already be asking questions of him as the early phase of his reign offers little cause for optimism.
Rodgers named a hugely different squad from the one which faced Everton on Sunday, with only goalkeeper Brad Jones and former Swansea man, Joe Allen, keeping their places.
In the first half it was Swansea who looked more like the home team and both their organisation and desire meant that they took a deserved lead when Chico Flores headed in past the stranded Jones; a goal which was enough to give the Welsh side a half-time lead.
As the second half began and the jeers and cheers rang out around Anfield, Rodgers opted to bring on club captain, Steven Gerrard, rising star, Raheem Sterling and striker Suarez.
It was all to no avail though as Nathan Dyer made it 2-0 with just 20 minutes left on the clock and despite a goal by Suarez a few minutes later to cut the deficit, comeback hopes ended as Jonathan De Guzman sealed a famous victory for the Swans in added time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jSDmk9rpTc
The result means that the Reds have continued one of their worst starts to a season and the pressure is now growing even further on the whole team, not just the manager.
Liverpool’s next match is a home Premier League fixture against Newcastle on Sunday, where anything but three points will surely see more frustrated fans and Rodgers wondering what he can do to reverse the slump.