Madness. How else can you describe what occurred at St. James' Park on Monday night? Liverpool lack fluency, are riddled with tactical imbalances and individual blunders, but yet they won 3-2 against Newcastle United on the most dramatic of occasions.
Just like last week, when Liverpool raised the Premier League curtain against Bournemouth at Anfield, they squandered a two-goal lead. But yet again, Arne Slot's side somehow found a way to win.
Rio Ngumoha-1
Rio Ngumoha won it at the death. The 16-year-old, on his Premier League debut, became Liverpool's youngest goalscorer in history, and the fourth-youngest in the division's history.
Youngest Scorers in Premier League History
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Data via Transfermarkt
But, sadly, for all the exuberance, the latest incredible evening on a club built atop incalculable results of breathtaking brilliance, we simply cannot turn away from the issues Liverpool are currently beset with.
And, once again, Ibrahima Konate was at the epicentre.
Ibrahima Konate's performance vs Newcastle
Against Bournemouth, Konate toiled, with Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher unsparing in his comments regarding the French centre-back's awareness and composure.
Konate-Liverpool-Premier-League
A similarly rotten night at St. James' Park. Konate has entered the final year of his contract with Liverpool, and Real Madrid are lurking. And he's playing like it.
Gone is Virgil van Dijk's powerful, robust and commanding partner. Form is temporary, of course, but Liverpool's pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi drags into the final week of the summer transfer window, so too is the need for him heightened.
Indeed, it was the French defender's missed header for William Osula's equaliser that highlighted his rough start to the campaign.
Konate wasn't the only one to have flattered to deceive on Tyneside, however.
Dominik Szoboszlai filled in admirably at right-back, while the skipper was immense, but the £40m summer signing, Milos Kerkez, has left plenty to be desired a few weeks into his Liverpool career.
Why Milos Kerkez might have lost his place
Kerkez, 21, thrilled the red half of Merseyside when signing in the summer, but the opening weeks of the defender's Liverpool career have proved that he has much to learn as a starting member at one of the world's biggest outfits.
Milos Kerkez for Liverpool
Part of the 2024/25 PFA Premier League Team of the Year, there's no question that he has bags of talent, but Slot has his work cut out to refine and develop him over the coming months and years.
PFA 2024/25 Team of the Season (timeless)
As per Sofascore, the former Bournemouth prospect won eight of his 11 contested duels, completed 83% of his passes and attempted to travel up and down the left flank, but did so losing possession 11 times, once every five and a bit touches of the ball.
But he was unconvincing in stages, especially when being outmuscled by Bruno Guimares as the Toon skipper rose and scored to spark a second-half comeback.
Writing down his post-match thoughts, Liverpool World gave the left-back a 4/10 match rating, acknowledging that it's been a poor start for him in Merseyside, drawing attention to his poor effort to rebuff Guimaraes' leap.
Journalist Alfie House even chipped in on the action, saying: "Kerkez has been shocking in these first two." That might be a tad harsh, but there's no question that the Hungarian full-back is raw and unrefined, and will prove a work in progress across the campaign.
When Andy Robertson joined Liverpool from Hull City in an £8m deal back in 2017, he wasn't a ready-made superstar. Jurgen Klopp fashioned him into something great.
Liverpool's Andrew Robertson during the warm up before the match
Liverpool's Andrew Robertson during the warm up before the match
And Kerkez must be allowed time to develop and grow into his skin. Therefore, with a mammoth fixture against Arsenal at Anfield now on the horizon, Slot will be giving ample thought to dropping his new recruit and
The old dog has a few more tricks up his sleeve, and his experience and ball-playing quality could bear dividends against a well-oiled Gunners side who thrashed Leeds United 5-0 on Saturday.
Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez
Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez
Robertson only started 22 Premier League matches across his maiden campaign as a Red, and yet his legacy as one of the club's greatest contemporaries is very much intact.
Kerkez might want to take a leaf from the Scottish veteran's book, and the same could be said of Slot in relation to Klopp's peerless man management.