For Liverpool, this may be one of those moments where you need to take a step back, and place everything in perspective. Yes, the goalless draw against Manchester United was clearly a setback in the title race, but equally, nobody really expected the Reds to be in this position at this stage of the season. If they beat Arsenal at Anfield next weekend, they will almost certainly be top of the Premier League at Christmas.

The initial focus for 2023/24 was getting back into the Champions League after Liverpool missed out for the first time since 2015/16 last year. That prompted a summer overhaul that saw veterans like Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho leave and relatively young players like Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister replace them. The general rule is that significant upheaval doesn’t lend itself to short-term success, instead boosting long-term prospects.

That may explain why, of the 27 BBC pundits asked to make their predictions before the season started, only one — Shay Given — had Liverpool as high as it is now (second), and only 11 had the Reds in the top three. 10 more had Jürgen Klopp’s side fourth, and six reckoned it would miss out on the top four altogether.

Liverpool, then, is ahead of the anticipated schedule. It remains a flawed team, that much is clear, but it is nonetheless going to enter 2024 very much in the title frame. And that puts the onus on FSG.

There are two ways the ownership could look at the club’s situation heading into the January transfer window. The first is that Klopp is already right there with the squad he has available, so he must have the tools to compete. At the very least, he should guide Liverpool back into the lucrative Champions League with relative comfort.

The second is that this is an unexpected opportunity to win the Premier League, and they should make the most of it by making the funds available for a major transfer addition, whether that’s a specialist number six who can help Liverpool produce more controlled performances, or a center-back who can fill out the ranks after Joël Matip’s season-ending injury (it’s unlikely to be both).