It was a case of back to reality for Liverpool, as they slumped to a devastating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Slaven Bilic's West Ham.
Positive start
After an opening day victory over Stoke, followed by all three points while hosting newly-promoted Bournemouth and a vital point away to Arsenal; Brendan Rodgers spoke about the belief that had returned to his new-look Liverpool, ahead of their clash with the Hammers.
Deemed to be a routine encounter for the Anfield club, Liverpool conceded their first goals of the Premier League campaign as Manuel Lanzini and Mark Noble netted at the Kop end in the first half before a 90th minute goal from Diafra Sakho made matters even worse.
Starting line ups
Liverpool began the game unchanged, with Simon Mignolet being shepherded by the strong defence of Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Nathaniel Clyne.
Want-a-way midfielder, Lucas Leiva was retained his place, joined by Emre Can, who will meet up with the German national side next week, and the captain on the day, James Milner.
The Brazilian pair of Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho narrowly flanked Christian Benteke in the Liverpool attack.
Darren Randolph continued in goals in place of the suspended Adrian San Miguel, while Aaron Cresswell made a return to his native city. Winston Reid continued in defence along with James Tomkins and Angelo Ogbonna.
The ever impressive Cheikhou Kouyate was involved in a packed midfield which included Mark Noble, Lanzini, Dimitri Payet, Pedro Obiang, and their attack was spear headed by the highly rated Diafra Sakho.
Errors galore
Widely regarded as the hot favourites going into this encounter, Liverpool found themselves behind just three minutes into the game. An unorganised defence and a mistake by 18-year-old Joe Gomez meant that Lanzini was able to tap the ball in from close range.
Liverpool didn’t seem to have kicked into gear, with Can and Coutinho regularly wasteful in the final third. New signing Firmino came closest for Liverpool as his speculative effort cannoned off the woodwork.
Noble strikes again
Liverpool's woes continued when Lovren's mishap sent the Hammers away, and newly named captain Noble tucked away his second in as many games. Liverpool were facing an embarrassing result.
James Milner was often reduced to simple mistakes, while West Ham seemed to have done their homework on the attacking ability and threats of Joe Gomez, as they forced the defender onto his weaker left foot.
There was still enough time for Coutinho to pick up a yellow card for dissent after match official, Kevin Friend booked the little magician for his slight complaints.
Tactical changes
The second half continued in much of the same fashion, with Liverpool forever wasteful in possession. However, Brendan Rodgers changed to a 3-4-3 formation with Emre Can making way for Alberto Moreno, who has impressed in his cameo appearances so far this season, while the tactical change meant Joe Gomez returned to a familiar right centre role.
After just a few minutes into the second half, Coutinho slid into a tackle rather rashly, and Kevin Friend controversially showed a second yellow card, which resulted in Liverpool playing the remaining 35 minutes with ten men.
West Ham continued their strong defensive battle, although they were aided by the lack of passing ability that Liverpool possessed. Liverpool were continually frustrated by the breaks in play, as West Ham looked to kill the game off by feigning injuries on occasion.
Controversy
With 15 minutes remaining, Mark Noble was shown red after the referee had already blown for a free kick in favour of Noble and West Ham. However the official deemed his tackle after the whistle had gone to be dangerous, although replays suggested that Kevin Friend had gotten the decision horribly wrong.
In the final minutes, Sakho netted the Irons third of the day which was a catalyst for a mass exit in the Kop.
Three vital points for the away side today meant they over take the likes of Chelsea and go into 7th place, while Liverpool remain 6th, ahead of the much needed international break.