Sadio Mane proved Liverpool's saviour just as their curse of last season seemed destined to strike again.
The Reds were frustrated by a five man Crystal Palace defence, and had looked to have run out of ideas as the contest drifted towards a dull stalemate.
But the brilliant winger was showed great alertness and composure when virtually out of the blue he was presented with an outrageous stroke of fortune deep into the game.
Mane cut in from the left and inadvertently played the perfect 1-2 off the shins of Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic to find himself unmarked in front of goal.
The African made no mistake and it was greeted with a roar of relief as much as joy from Anfield faithful, who had feared a repeat of so many games from last season, when their heroes struggled to break defensive sides down on home turf.
Here, David Maddock looks at some of the game's talking points...
1. Liverpool need to sort out Coutinho once and for all
Every game, it seems, brings another political move from Barcelona and the player's representatives, which seem designed only to destabilise and upset Liverpool.
Why else make yet another bid just before match day. The club's owners say he's not for sale, and they have every right to stick to that, so the time has come to say enough is enough.
Maybe they can place a restraining order against Barca?!
2. The Reds can't afford to let Coutinho go
Yet again Jurgen Klopp's side were faced with a wall of defenders who arrived at Anfield with the sole intent of frustrating and stopping.
They'd better get used to it, because only if they face Barca or Real Madrid in the Champions' League will a side come here intent on an open contest.
But to break sides like Palace down, they need that creativity around the box, which is where Klopp sees Coutinho making the vital contribution.
If he does stay, then the manager needs to work to ensure he is motivated.
3. Andy Robertson looks to provide an answer on the left
He wasn't asked to do much defending, but the discreet signing from Hull certainly looked good going forward and his delivery was a delightful surprise to the Kop faithful who have seen little of him previous to this appearance.
Klopp says the left back has much to learn, and certainly the physical side of the game will still be a challenge, but he has quality in his crossing, and it can be a weapon for the Reds this year.
4. Daniel Sturridge has a big season with the World Cup on the horizon
What can you say about the striker that hasn't already been exclaimed through teeth clenched in frustration.
He is a talent, he has such grace on the ball and he is a natural finisher. But here after just a couple of the weeks on the sidelines he looked rusty and a little reluctant to sprint all out.
So he needs to somehow string together a run of games to find his sharpness...and stay fit enough to lay a genuine claim to an England place next summer.
5. Palace have clearly done some work on the training ground this week
They were organised and knew pretty much what each and every player should be doing.
Which begs the question, what the hell have they been up to all summer, because last week was a shambles?
Frank de Boer is a tactically astute coach and he will want to change this team's style, but clearly he has decided to trade on traditional Palace qualities...and it's the right decision for now, even if it didn't quite work here.