Liverpool's hopes of matching Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning season were dashed as Chelsea dumped the Reds out of the FA Cup.
With Liverpool having already effectively wrapped up the Premier League title, the prospect of a treble campaign remained on the cards as Jurgen Klopp's side headed to west London on Tuesday evening.
The Merseyside club's unspoken dream of matching Arsenal's 'Invincibles' unbeaten Premier League campaign of 2003/04 has already fallen by the wayside as Watford beat the Reds 3-0 at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Klopp named a surprisingly strong starting lineup at Stamford Bridge with Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk included, and Liverpool looked impressive in attack early on.
However, Adrian gifted Chelsea the opening goal moments after making a fine stop - the Liverpool goalkeeper spilling Willian's shot into the corner of his net.
Liverpool could not find a route back, and Ross Barkley's second-half effort earned a deserved 2-0 win for Chelsea.
The result means Liverpool cannot now match United's treble-winning campaign of 1998/99, and face a fight to defend their Champions League crown.
Having lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in the first leg in the Spanish capital, Liverpool must overturn that scoreline at Anfield.
