Following a month of steady progress and in a week which Liverpool dominated Premier League front-runners Chelsea in a cup semi-final, a home tie against Championship opposition in the FA Cup Fourth Round looked like a good place to build some more momentum.
Having lost one of the last 15 going in the game, winning five of the last seven, Bolton Wanderers were expected by many to be brushed aside with relative ease by Liverpool.
There was no disrespect to Neil Lennon's side, as no opposition in the FA Cup can be underestimated, but at Anfield - Liverpool certainly expected to progress against the 16th-best second-tier side.
However, Bolton gave the Reds a tougher challenge than many predicted. Liverpool's side was weaker than in previous games, but still boasted some strong names - the likes of Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson. Yet, Brendan Rodgers side were forced to rue missed chances as the home crowd saw yet another goalless stalemate at L4.
The result means Liverpool have won just six of 18 games on home turf this season, a damning statistic given the cauldron they had turned Anfield into last season - only Chelsea and Southampton emerging from the red half of Merseyside with more than a point.
Saturday's result was a strange one. Lennon's side asserted themselves well defensively, Adam Bogdan the stand-out player, denying the hosts with a number of top saves. But Liverpool really should have won the game. They had the chances.
Yet again though, a few changes to the starting side and suddenly Liverpool looked disjointed again. The passing was careless, the tempo non-existent and the effervescence and energy invisible. The finishing was even worse.
Perhaps on a day in which Middlesbrough and Bradford City completed shocking upsets, winning 2-0 and 4-2 (after going 2-0 down) away at Manchester City and Chelsea, the Reds were fortunate not to fall to the curse of the cup upset. Manchester United, Southampton and Spurs are just a few others who didn't achieve the results they would have liked.
That, though, is no excuse for the lazy performance. The only real time Liverpool looked like they wanted to win was in the final minutes, where Bogdan's goal came under a bombardment of pressure. In total, 24 shots were fired at the Hungarian's goal, of which only a few truly tested the keeper. Others were weak efforts, or simply wide of the target.
After such an impressive performance from a full-strength side in mid-week, it was perhaps a sign that Liverpool have not come as far as they'd thought. Brendan Rodgers and co. deliberately set about to improve the depth of the side in the summer and this wasn't even much of a weakened side, yet they failed to overcome a stubborn Bolton side.
With Daniel Sturridge back, it may all have been different. They surely would have accrued more points in the season, they could already have a place at Wembley booked, they could be in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. But, if an entire club is relying on one player to return and help save their season, then how successful really was the summer? Regardless of the blossoming of the likes of Emre Can and Lazar Markovic in recent weeks.
It could all be different, of course. Referee Kevin Friend, could and probably should, have showed red to Bolton skipper Matt Mills just into the second-half and Jordan Henderson could have easily had a penalty after Jay Spearing brought him down from behind in the area. But, Liverpool should really not be relying on refereeing decisions to get past the Trotters.
Sometimes, they tried to hard to be cute in the final third, to almost play their way into goal. Others, they were too slow and lacked vigour going forward. As a result, Bolton deservedly came away with a second effort to show for their efforts.
The replay, in nine days time, at Bolton's Macron Stadium will be a test for Liverpool. The last time they visited there, back in 2011-12, they suffered a confidence-sapping 3-1 defeat. This time, they can ill-afford a negative result.
Given how many big rivals have already fallen in the tournament, Liverpool have a strong opportunity to go the length. It will be another fixture in an-already busy schedule, but Rodgers needs to take it seriously.
A draw isn't the worst result. Liverpool still have a strong chance of progressing to the next round, but they will need to approach the replay differently. At home, Bolton will likely look to attack the Reds, rather than sit back.
The fringe-players that failed to take their opportunity to impress at Anfield surely shouldn't feature, but then the Merseyside Derby against Everton awaits just days later. Jose Enrique, Javier Manquillo and Glen Johnson all disappointed, upsetting the rhythm that the Reds had built over the last few games.
A frustrating afternoon and an unnecessary headache for Rodgers. Who does he bring back into the starting line-up? Does he risk going full-strength? Questions he'd rather not have had to ask himself, but they are what await after tough fixtures away to Chelsea in the second-leg of the Capital One Cup Semi Final and then a tricky tie against West Ham United in the Premier League at Anfield.
Gerrard and his teammates will be desperate to make things right, given the final falls on his 35th birthday and it could be a perfect storytale ending to the skipper's career before he leaves for America, but it won't be easy. Bolton know they will have their chances against Liverpool, but the Reds need to weather the storm that the home supporters will help stir.
Four of the Premier League's top six have been eliminated before the end of January whilst Swansea, Everton and Newcastle are all out and West Ham United and Arsenal will decide their fates before the day is done.
It's an ideal opportunity for Liverpool to get through to the latter rounds of the competition and for the sake of Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rodgers, and Liverpool's season on a whole, they have to take it.