Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Thankfully, the headline name following Liverpool's Champions League tie was Alexis Mac Allister, with the Argentine helping to spare the blushes of the likes of Milos Kerkez behind him.
On a different day, that early, shaky defensive showing from the Hungarian could have proved far more costly, with even a reunion with Andoni Iraola having not sparked a resurgence for the ex-Bournemouth man.
Signed a year ago, the young full-back can be forgiven for enduring a tricky adjustment in his debut season, yet now into his second year and with Iraola at the helm, there should be no excuses for his continued malaise.
Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
The 22-year-old needs to improve, and quickly, and he isn't the only one.
Why Kerkez's form is still a concern despite Atleti win
Upon his arrival on Merseyside, there was almost a general acceptance that Kerkez would be a hit in a Liverpool shirt, with Arne Slot and co securing what looked like a ready-made, Premier League-proven successor to Andy Robertson at left-back.
He'd been such a force for the Cherries across 2024/25, scoring twice and registering five assists in the Premier League, a key figure in Iraola's impressive, front-foot system.
Milos Kerkez 2024-25 season in numbers (timeless)-1
Fast forward to the present day, and the youngster looks like public enemy number one at Anfield, having struggled to contribute in an attacking sense while too often caught out defensively.
Against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, the struggling full-back appeared to try and catch Marcos Llorente offside rather than simply following his man, with the Spaniard duly converting for yet another goal on Merseyside.
To his credit, he was subsequently involved in the build-up to Liverpool's equaliser, although it's not as if he's really balancing out his defensive woes by chipping in creatively, registering just two assists in total in 12 months.
Everything appears to be done in a hurry, at 100m miles an hour, providing a sense of chaos that Iraola's men just don't need right now.
Grading Kerkez's time at Liverpool so far
Let's face it, it's been a difficult few years in terms of recruitment for FSG, the wave of investment last summer failing to have the desired effect, with Slot the ultimate casualty.
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Spending big on the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak still feels like an unLiverpool-like spree of business, although in the defence of the Anfield hierarchy, Kerkez's addition looked like a real no-brainer.
As already explored, he'd been a revelation on the south coast, with rival supporters marvelling at his relentless quality and ability to bomb up and down the left flank with ease.
And yet, the warning signs were there, as even in 2024/25 he still made four errors leading to a shot or goal in the Premier League, with this perhaps not the sure thing of a signing that many felt it was.
With just four goals and assists racked up in his first 52 games to date, this isn't Robertson mark two, with Liverpool perhaps set to rue the decision not to sign another left-back this summer.
Liverpool's Andy Robertson celebrates after the match
Considering his shortcomings defensively, alongside his failure to fire creatively, it'd be hard to give Kerkez anything more than a three or four out of ten so far, if rating his time at the club.
If it's any consolation, it could be worse.
Why 2/10 Liverpool signing is even making Kerkez look good
It perhaps doesn't feel right to be quite so critical amid back-to-back wins for Iraola's men, but no one is under any illusion that this team is far from the finished article.
Liverpool-Atletico-Madrid
The early flurry from Atleti showcased the flaws that exist both in midfield and defensively, with the full-back department still the key concern for the long-term.
New man Ronald Araujo has certainly provided a sense of calm at right-back, although whether that is a permanent solution remains to be seen, particularly with the Reds so light in the centre.
The Uruguayan's clever backheel for Dominik Szoboszlai did at least ensure he now has as many assists in a Liverpool shirt as Jeremie Frimpong has recorded, despite the on-loan defender having played 33 fewer games, as per WhoScored.
Frimpong, on paper, is the only senior right-back available, and yet he has still found himself out of the starting lineup, the Dutchman again mirroring Kerkez as looking out of his depth defensively, yet lacking too in the final third.
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Frimpong @ Leverkusen vs Liverpool
Leverkusen (24/25)
33
5
5
6
0.9
84%
0.8
1.0
0.2
0.4
10.5
League stats only
As a regular watcher of Celtic, the diminutive full-back was so likeable during his stint in Glasgow, a real breath of fresh air both on and off the pitch.
There were flaws to his game at the time, notably sent off in a memorable Scottish Cup final win in 2019, but he was young and raw, with such naivety to be excused.
Now 25, and having starred for Bayer Leverkusen previously, there should be no such excuses, with Frimpong having had more than enough time to bed in now on Merseyside.
The transfer fee involved ensures his signing hasn't been a financial disaster, yet considering he earns roughly £5m-per-year, that's over £35m splashed out so far on a player who just hasn't delivered anywhere close to what was expected.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Yes, he was a mere footnote in Wednesday's action after entering the fray off the bench, although the wider point is that Liverpool have downgraded so drastically at full-back, from the highs of Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, to the chaos of Kerkez and Frimpong.
Perhaps Iraola, the highly-regarded coach he is, can get a tune out of the £29.5m signing as the season progresses, yet if you were to judge his impact to date, anything above a two out of ten rating would feel a little kind.
Indeed, just look to his performance in the opening two games of the season against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, having left Iraola's side so open at the back.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
On average, he's been dribbled past 1.5 times per game already in 2026/27 in the Premier League, with even Kerkez putting up a better fight with a 0.3 average in that regard.
Maybe Frimpong is simply the wrong player at the wrong club, but even so, the level of performance just hasn't been good enough.