We all knew this month was going to be a test for Liverpool and the strength of the squad that Jurgen Klopp has at his disposal this season. Well, following Liverpool eliminating Arsenal on their home turf, missing key players, we might have our answer.
Not only was Mohamed Salah not available because of AFCON duties, Dominik Szoboszlai also missed out because of an injury.
Virgil Van Dijk was a late scratch due to an illness. That is not too mention Wataru Endo, who has quickly become a key figure in the midfield, being absent for his international responsibilities as well.
No Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas meant left-back was manned by Joe Gomez. The center-half pairing of Ibrahima Konate and youngster Jarell Quansah stood up to the challenge throughout.
It was not an eye-popping display by any means, but for a a severely depleted Liverpool side to go into the Emirates against a very strong Arsenal side and get it done? I'll take that 10 times out of 10.
The Reds battled and came in with a game plan and they brought it to fruition. The Gunners threatened but Liverpool stood firm. Curtis Jones continued his ascendancy at the club with another solid outing and the midfield, when healthy, is going to have a lot of options going forward.
Alexis Mac Allister has not yet peaked with Liverpool, Ryan Gravenberch continues to grow, and Szoboszlai is already an integral piece. Harvey Elliott also shows flashes of his talents and passion.
Now, this is not to say that after one impressive win, no transfer work needs to be done. A defender still needs to be a priority and another attacker would not hurt in the slightest.
However, with that being said, it will be an encouraging outing for Klopp and his staff. Missing some marquee contributors and getting that kind of result away from home is nothing to scoff at. He now knows, in a pinch, the lads can still do the job.
It was also vitally important to see Luis Diaz scoring a good goal to finish off the tie. As I have written before, he must be the one to step up in Salah's absence up front. It was fitting he played on the right side then as well.
While the fixtures will continue to come thick and fast, especially if Liverpool keeps winning, we saw a sign that perhaps there is more security beyond the Starting XI then we once thought.
There is no rest for the weary though, as Liverpool will be tested again with their League Cup Semifinal on Wednesday against Fulham.