Liverpool could not immediately find many positives on the way out of Wembley. To make matters worse, Harvey Elliott had to limp out of the stadium, having taken a heavy blow from Joelinton.
Now three days on, a degree of perspective about the defeat is starting to take hold. Liverpool remains the overwhelming favorite to win the Premier League, an achievement that is never to be taken lightly.
It is all the more impressive in Arne Slot's first season. Many questioned how he would fare in taking over from Jurgen Klopp, especially with Federico Chiesa as the only summer addition, but the title looks to be on its way to Anfield.
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As it happens, Chiesa found the net at Wembley, although that certainly doesn't tell the tale of his campaign. He has been hugely peripheral, with Slot moving to the brink of Premier League glory with essentially the exact same personnel as Klopp.
Unexpectedly, Elliott has also ended up on the fringes. Even so, any kind of injury-enforced absence would have been a blow to Slot as he looks to see the job through.
After all, if there is one thing that Liverpool can take from its Wembley defeat, it is that Slot needs to find more opportunities to utilize his squad. Not only did Elliott and Chiesa combine for the goal, but the regular starters looked dead on their feet.
Liverpool has a healthy lead in the Premier League, but it is not won yet. Six wins out of nine cannot be taken for granted, especially if the energy levels do not recover.
So it will come as a relief that Elliott appears fit and healthy. He has been called up to the England U21 squad, and footage shows him training as normal with the group.
When Slot has used Elliott this season, it has often been on the right wing. Even Mohamed Salah has started to look out of sorts in the past two or three games, so perhaps the 21-year-old can hope for a few more opportunities there off the bench.
But where Elliott looks most at home now is in an advanced midfield position, one which he made his own under Klopp. He is competing with the seemingly indefatigable Dominik Szoboszlai there, but his slide-rule assist in the Carabao Cup final was a timely reminder of his qualities.
The heart of the pitch is where Elliott is likely to get opportunities with the England U21s as well. He will hope to showcase his qualities over the course of the international break, at a level which he frankly outgrew a while ago.
In doing so, he could catch the eye of both Slot and Thomas Tuchel, the new England boss. Elliott is still waiting for his first senior cap, something his teammate Jarell Quansah could achieve imminently, having earned a call-up.
Breaking into Tuchel's plans will certainly be on Elliott's agenda. But muscling his way back into the Liverpool picture will be priority number one — and his clean bill of health will be a major relief, giving him the platform to make a telling impact in what remains of the campaign.
