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Liverpool and Bayern Munich played out a thrilling 0-0 draw at Anfield in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie, in a game that the Reds would feel they ought to have come out of with a positive result.
Sadio Mane missed a glaring opportunity to put the Reds ahead in the first half, when a ricochet landed to him with Manuel Neuer's goal at his mercy, but he somehow contrived to pull his shot wide.
In what was a weird game, in that neither goalkeeper really had plenty to do, the two sides only mustered two shots on target between them, despite having 24 attempts in all.
This leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of the second leg at the Allianz Arena, in three weeks time. Neither side will be too disappointed with the result, although Klopp will be the first to admit that his side should have been taking an advantage to Munich.
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#5 Liverpool's shooting boots go missing
In what was an intense first half played at a breakneck speed, it was Bayern who actually threatened first, as Alisson dithered on the ball for a little too long, and Robert Lewandowski pounced, but Kingsley Coman's pass back to the Pole was good enough, and the Brazilian redeemed himself.
Post that, it was pretty much all Liverpool till the break. They were eager in the press, pounced on the loose balls in midfield, and put together some superb moves with intricate passing in tight areas.
The most glaring opportunity of all, of course, fell to Mane, who would probably score from that kind of opportunity nine times of ten. Mo Salah had an opportunity too, as he was found by a superb raking long ball from skipper Jordan Henderson, who was superb on the night. Salah just couldn't get enough of his boot on the ball to really test Neuer, for whom it was a comfortable catch.
The Reds had further opportunities, as Joel Matip skewed a shot wide off a corner, and then right on the stroke of half-time, Roberto Firmino was played through by Gini Wijnaldum, but with the angle too narrow and Neuer committed, the Brazilian could not execute his chip through to Mane at the far-post well enough.
The second half saw clear-cur chances come few and far between, with a late Mane header off a Robertson cross being saved by Neuer at his near-post.
#4 Bayern's midfield - A tale of two halves
In the first half, it is not an understatement to say that the Bayern Munich midfield was eaten alive, as they were like deer caught in the headlights. Liverpool were intense, they were strong and they meant business.
Henderson set the tone for Wijnaldum and Naby Keita to follow, and Bayern were under the cosh. The usually-so-reliable Thiago Alcantara was being forced into mistakes, Javi Martinez was feeling the pace, and James Rodriguez never really got into the game.
Bayern were also a little off the pace before the breather. They were allowing Keita and Wijnaldum to breeze past them like there was no one there, Firmino was dropping deep to link up play as well, which added to the Bavarians' problems.
Post the break, though, Bayern were a different side, especially in the middle of the park. They played the game at the pace they wanted to play it at. And, it started with them dropping a little bit deeper, which meant they weren't as exposed to the counter-press as they were in the first-half.
Martinez, in particular, was a revelation. He set the tone for Niko Kovac's side after the break. He broke up play beautifully, made some critical interventions in the box, and was a brickwall against Liverpool set-pieces.
In truth, that was also facilitated by an even more conservative Bayern approach to the second half, with Kovac very happy to take the draw, or even nick a win on the off-chance that Serge Gnabry or Kingsley Coman could use their speed and skill on the break.
#3 Liverpool's makeshift centre-backs come up trumps
Fabinho is a defensive midfielder by trade. NOT a centre-back. You'd be forgiven for thinking, on the basis of this game, that he is a seasoned campaigner at the heart of the defence.
The Brazilian was superb - strong in the air against Lewandowski, perfect in his reading of the game, and just 100% when he slid in for tackles.
This was a potential problem area for Liverpool, with Virgil van Dijk suspended, and Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez both nursing injuries.
Putting in a midfielder at the back is never ideal, but even more so when you put him in to partner a centre-back who doesn't inspire too much confidence on the best of days.
But, Joel Matip was imperious at the back too. He never backed down from the challenge of having to deal with Lewandowski, who despite a lack of impact on this game, could not be faulted for want of effort.
Even a series of Bayern corners was not going to be enough to overcome Matip and Fabinho, and that would have been a huge relief to Klopp. In recent games, the Reds had been a little bit more shaky while defending dead-balls, and in the absence of their most prized asset in those situations, it was critical that Matip and Fabinho stood up to the challenge.
Two particular instances from Fabinho stood out. One, an inch-perfect tackle in his own six-yard box to deny Lewandowski a shooting opportunity, and the other, a superb slide in to deny Coman who was just turning on the afterburners on the counter-attack.
The clean sheet means that Liverpool will still fancy themselves to get the job done in Munich, especially if they get the first goal, in which case Bayern would have to press the gas more, and leave themselves open to the Liverpool break.
#2 Bayern's rearguard was superb
There has been plenty of criticism leveled at Mats Hummels for what, by his standards, have been below-par performances this season. That, on the back of a below-average World Cup, and the German has had the guillotine on his neck for pretty much the entirety of this campaign.
But, what's that cliche? Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Mats Hummels is class, and tonight, that came to the fore. He was strong aerially when Liverpool had their set-pieces, but what stood out from that performance was his reading of the game.
With Liverpool playing one-twos on the edge of the area, and Wijnaldum or Keita always adding an extra body by making advanced runs from midfield, it was important for one of the Bayern centre-halves to take charge, and Hummels did.
Of course, he did. He was the senior man in the partnership, and the onus was on him. What was particularly impressive was the way he just stood on his feet, and never felt the need to dive into a tackle, which could've been dangerous given the quick feet of Liverpool's front three.
Hummels also ably pulled Niklas Sule along with him. The youngster was having a difficult time in dealing with Liverpool's movement, but grew into the game in the second half.
And then, there was Joshua Kimmich. Very early, he'd picked up a booking that ruled him out of the second leg, but he wasn't going to let that deter him. There was a job to be done at Anfield, before thinking about proceedings in Munich.
The way Kimmich defended the Mane-Robertson combination left a lot of lessons for other right-backs who will come up against the duo in the remainder of the season.
The young German ensured he was never too tight to either Mane or Robertson, and that allowed him to cover the marauding Robertson's overlapping runs, without having to sacrifice his attention on Mane.
Bayern will miss him hugely in the second leg, and Mane will only be hoping that in Munich, Rafinha will not be able to repeat Kimmich's tricks from tonight with the same regularity.
#1 Bayern will not set up similarly in Munich
In a sense, especially in the second half, Bayern executed the cliched ideal European away performance performance. They suffocated Liverpool, and ensured the tie headed to Munich on level terms.
But one can be certain that this is not the way Niko Kovac will set up in Munich. Bayern will try to force the initiative a little more, they will camp a little higher up the pitch than they did for most of this game.
For Liverpool though, that might not be the worst thing to happen. Virgil van Dijk will be back, which will give Klopp big assurance about the Reds' ability to cope with sustained Bayern pressure, when it does come.
With sustained Bayern pressure, and a much higher defensive set-up, you'd think that would also suit Liverpool, who can be electric on the counter-attack. Their counter-attacking prowess coupled with better finishing from tonight will definitely leave the Reds in with a huge chance of qualification.
But there is another team in this. Let's not forget what Bayern can do. They are a world-class side, brimming with attacking talent and in Lewandowski, among the most lethal strikers in world football.
Bayern will go for the kill, but in doing so, they will give Liverpool opportunities. I can already hear hands rubbing and see mouths salivating at the prospect of what's in store at the Allianz Arena.
March 13, then. All to play for!
