Klopp had promised on Wednesday that if his team had to bow out of the Europa League then they would do so in the "most beautiful way" but much like the promise of a reaction at home to Crystal Palace last week after the 3-0 first-leg humbling, it proved to be little more than a neat, largely empty soundbite.

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The Reds boss and his famed oratory skills were enough for some to believe that a third famous European fightback on his watch was on the cards before kick off in Bergamo, but this was not a failure in the most beautiful way.

In truth, this was an ugly game and a shrugging emoji of a performance from Liverpool, who seemed oddly indifferent to the plight that saw them needing three goals just to force extra time.

While the Reds and their injuries have proven that it is a squad game more than ever at the elite level, Klopp simply hasn't been able to build from a solid, consistent base at the back.

The Reds captain did just that, in fact, telling TNT Sport after the game: "We won this game and we had a clean sheet, there are positives to take." He is right to an extent, even if it might not feel like it to supporters who've had their weekend ruined before it's started.

Liverpool's first clean sheet since the 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on March 2 may not necessarily be cause for bombastic statements about winning the title but a more settled defensive system, with the same players consistently in those positions, can only help for what we now know for certain are the final six games of Klopp's time.

Who is next in the hotseat?

While Liverpool were meekly tumbling out of the Europa League, the manager who so many want to fill the yawning void soon to be left by Jurgen Klopp was quietly going about his business of securing a semi-final place over in east London.