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In a strange quirk of its season, Liverpool has beaten Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid and Inter Milan in the Champions League so far, but has lost to Galatasaray and PSV.
Arne Slot's men have picked up maximum points in the harder fixtures and lost out — especially heavily at home to the Eredivisie leader — in the games where it should, in theory, have found things easier.
Sitting ninth in the standings with two rounds of matches remaining (a trip to Marseille and a home game with Qarabag), the Reds should be able to get into the top eight from here, which means avoiding the play-offs.
Considering that this was a difficult set of games for Liverpool and that the Reds have been poor for much of the campaign to date, that would represent a major result.
It would also add weight to the theory that Slot's men might be better suited to playing in Europe — where teams are likelier to try and play them at their own game — rather than in the Premier League, where set-pieces, long throws and physicality have caused problem after problem.
Ahead of the weekend's visit of Brighton, Liverpool has to find a way of translating that form into domestic matters. And given that the new formation used in Italy paid off, that might be the way forward.
Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones both played well midweek, while Alexis Mac Allister, in particular, benefited from the extra legs he had around him. The Argentine's quality on the ball has never been in doubt, but his energy levels have dropped at times of late.
Dominik Szoboszlai played off the right and Jones off the left, with Gravenberch and Mac Allister in the middle. In front of a more solid-looking back four, it was a method that got the best out of the players who were available.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate both looked much more comfortable with bodies in front of them, Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez were strong, and there were no gaping holes in the center that Inter players could walk through.
There are drawbacks to the 4-4-2 diamond — there is a lack of width at times, though Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley (suspended for Brighton) or Jeremie Frimpong (currently injured) could help, and it remains to be seen how Mohamed Salah fits in.
But at the same time, it was a way of playing that seemed to suit some key men who have been underperforming, and it provided a stable platform for an impressive victory that shouldn't be played down.
The idea of the stable base — with Florian Wirtz having started the three previous games and therefore in need of a rest — was to set up Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike as a front two. While that didn't really happen and they were isolated, Wirtz could hold the key.
If Slot goes with the same system at Anfield on Saturday, he could play the same midfield four — Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Jones — with Wirtz and Ekitike (the Frenchman being the most deserving of keeping his place) up top as a pair.
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Wirtz would be allowed to float around and get on the ball where he can be most dangerous, and he would be doing so safe in the knowledge that there was still a bank of players behind him providing defensive insurance.
As he showed once again when he impressed off the bench on Tuesday, Wirtz has quality. Having a more solid structure behind him could be the ideal platform he needs to thrive.
It isn't the perfect long-term fix, given that it would mean taking Isak out — something that won't be the plan when the Swede finally gets up to speed. For the here and now, though, it might just be the best avenue to success.
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