The vibes around Liverpool Football Club have not been the best over the last week. A frustrating draw against their struggling bitter rivals, Manchester United, was followed by a defeat in the English League Cup semifinal first leg away to Tottenham.
The same Spurs team the Reds put 6 goals in against just a few weeks ago. So, it was clear a reset was needed as the club had hit its first "slump" under the tutelage of Arne Slot.
Enter, Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round coming to Anfield for an early Saturday kickoff.
This was exactly what Liverpool needed as they could give the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz and Alisson Becker all a full rest which is never a bad thing.
An opportunity for fringe options
Harvey Elliott, an almost forgotten man since returning from injury, got the chance to start out wide as did the 16-year old Rio Ngumoha who played the role of Salah on this day.
Tyler Morton, Wataru Endo and Diogo Jota were also given the chance to start this match as well. There were some lineup fixtures, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez out there, but overall it was a fresh side.
The substitutes used in this match; Federico Chiesa, Jayden Danns, James McConnell, Conor Bradley and Trey Nyoni are a a clear indication to the mindset Slot and his staff had going into this.
Chiesa in particular, getting the entire second half was huge for him and the club to see what he could offer. One goal, one shot off the post and another half-chance created shows his talent is still there.
This could be a huge boon to his confidence if he decides to stick it out in England. Danns scoring once again in the FA Cup as a result of his natural goal scoring ability and positioning was a wonderful sight to see.
Silence the doubters for another day
The narrative surrounding Alexander-Arnold in recent weeks have only amplified with Real Madrid's clear interest in securing the player for their project.
A poor performance against United didn't help his case as he appeared to lack effort at times, but Saturday showcased just what he is capable of that almost no other right-back in world football is.
His stunning strike from outside the box was pure class and it came on a day he was wearing the armband for the Reds. This is the Alexander-Arnold that might already be in the club legend waiting room.
He clearly still values being here and the emotion he showed upon scoring reflected that as well. This 4-0 result was also good the for psyche of the whole squad.
Outside rumors were picking up steam that this was the beginning of the wheels falling off the Liverpool Express. Now, I'm not here saying a 3rd round FA Cup win over a League Two side is proof things are perfect again, but at worst, it has restored a bit of aura and swagger back in the side.
Any momentum is good momentum
When you are trying to steady the ship and get a groove back in football, sometimes all it takes is one result to flip a switch.
This win, while important, obviously doesn't carry the same weight as say beating an Arsenal or these days, Nottingham Forest, in the Premier League.
Having said that, a win like this, where big-time players get extra rest, youngsters are given opportunities, Chiesa finally scores his first Liverpool goal and we progress in the FA Cup, is nothing to brush aside, regardless of the competition.
The job for Slot will be to bottle this good feeling over the next few days and help instill it for the huge Forest clash on Tuesday.
It was a much needed palate cleanser for the fans, players and the club after a tough week. Now, the job is to keep it going and make it happen again and again.