It was a reality check for Liverpool — evidence in the Nou Camp that for all the distance they have travelled, there are still crucial steps to take.
Jurgen Klopp suggested as much immediately after the sobering lesson from Barcelona, admitting it has become a season where fine margins, tight decisions, are cruelly conspiring against his club.
His team played well in Spain, really well, but their Champions League dream was still crushed. And in the Premier League, they could end up winning 97 points and still not be champions.
It is the sort of heartbreak which could define careers, even destroy some.
Yet the spirit in the bowels of the Nou Camp after Wednesday's 3-0 semi-final first leg loss was not quite defeated, no matter the pain.
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Virgil van Dijk summed up the message. If Liverpool lose away to former boss Rafa Benitez's Newcastle on Saturday night, Manchester City can retain the title at home to Leicester on Monday.
They cannot let that happen, Van Dijk said. They must believe in themselves. And believe that the quality of a fine young team will be rewarded.
“We believe. We will keep believing,” vowed the Dutch defender, with a rueful smile. “Of course, nobody wants what happened out there. It is difficult to take. But we have to deal with it.
“We’ve another totally different challenge straight away. We have to stay confident for that. This shouldn’t put us down or anything and there is plenty of positives to take, even though there are things to improve.
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"That’s the only thing we can do – keep believing and keep working hard for each other and stay positive. There is no reason to panic.
“It will be really tough. Newcastle is a big job. But we’ve shown throughout the season we never give up. We need everyone to be together. Let’s see how it goes.”
Newcastle now becomes a pivotal game for Klopp’s side.
Realistically, ex-Reds manager Brendan Rodgers' Leicester getting a result at the Etihad on Monday is far more likely than Liverpool winning at least 3-0 against Barca at Anfield the night after.
But that will be academic if they don't take care of Newcastle first.
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And given how devastating the defeat in Catalonia was, 48 hours to recover and prepare mentally for what now becomes the biggest game of these players’ lives does not seem long enough.
The message though, was surprisingly defiant.
It is one thing saying it, of course; another doing it.
How not to feel sorry for yourselves and mope when you play so well against Barcelona and are still destroyed. That can only induce doubt.
It requires experienced heads, and Liverpool do have those in the likes of James Milner.
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For him, it is now about drawing on everything they have learned in such an emotional, thrilling season.
“It’s tough, we know that, but we’re used to playing games in quick succession and we’ve seen the character in this squad on more than one occasion over the last few years,” said Milner, who had a glorious chance to score an away goal that would have kept the tie in the balance at 3-1.
“It’s about bouncing back quickly from this with a big game at the weekend, get a good result there and
get a bit of positivity going into next week. We all know the character is there, so we need to be together and bounce back from that. I have no doubt this team will do that.”
