Florian Wirtz has really found his feet at Liverpool in his last couple of outings and it looked as though he'd announced it with a vital equalizer against Sunderland. But while the goal stood, it was officially credited as a Nordi Mukiele own goal.
Technically speaking, there can be no real complaints. Looking at the replay, Wirtz's skewed effort appears to be heading wide until it hits the Sunderland defender.
But it feels like a harsh verdict in spirit, with Wirtz doing everything to make the goal with his neat footwork, making just enough room to unleash a shot in a congested box. And while the identity of the scorer for Arne Slot's side would usually be a technicality, the big-money signing is still waiting on his first goal.
After Alexander Isak opened his league account last week, it would have been a real boost to see Wirtz off the mark as well. Aims and expectations for the season have already had to be adjusted after the hugely deflating start to the campaign, but settling those two into the side will be an important project for the long-term future.
But while the wait goes on for Wirtz, you'd actually say that he has made more of a mark than his fellow expensive arrival recently, even with Isak being the one to find the net. And publicly, at least, the German has played down the significance of having his first goal taken away.
"It doesn't matter today," Wirtz told Sky Sports after the match. "We draw, we wanted to win.
"That's what counts today. Unlucky.
"The last weeks were very difficult for us as a team, but we are on a good way to come back and we are giving everything to come back and win games. We wanted to win today.
"We want to be on the top table. We just have to continue, keep the hard work and the hopefully things will change."
Florian Wirtz celebrates Liverpool's equalizer against Sunderland.
Wirtz has shrugged off the reclassification of what he thought was his first Liverpool goal. (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
It's certainly a glass-half-full kind of assessment. Many Liverpool fans will feel that the team was once again well off where it needs to be, and that this was two steps back after a tentative step forward.
But Sunderland's recent form offers some important context, with Arsenal also held to a draw less than a month ago. And it's something, at least, to see Liverpool rally to salvage a point from behind.
In any case, Wirtz himself is certainly a bright spark amid the disappointment. And while he isn't personally dwelling on the own-goal classification, Curtis Jones feels his teammate deserved a goal for his efforts.
"With Flo, a guy who wants the ball a lot, how much that he ran [was so impressive]," Jones said after the game. "And yeah, it's just a shame that it goes down as an own goal."
As long as Wirtz can continue on his current trajectory, the official first goal cannot be far away. But truth be told, Liverpool could do with the nine other outfield players getting onto his level.