Mo Salah reflects on scoring a sitter in Liverpool's 5-0 rout. Photo / Getty Images
Such is the fatalism on The Kop, there has been debate in recent days as to what is most painful.
The instant slaying of a title dream, akin to Liverpool's home defeat to Chelsea in 2014, or the tortuous, progressive strangulation that may come to define being runners-up in 2019, where the chances of respite are encouraged by returning to the top every five days — often with a comprehensive victory such as this — only for the suffering to intensify when falling behind again 24 hours later.
Liverpool came into yesterday's fixture still clinging to hope. They dispatched Huddersfield, the already-relegated visitors, 5-0 with such ease, it never wavered during 90 comfortable minutes. The problem is, in sport and at the modern Anfield, hope can be the greatest tormentor.
Liverpool cannot trust hope. It has let them down too much recently.
Hope offered Jurgen Klopp's side a tantalising glimpse of the Europa League and Champions League trophy, only to turn its back on them.
Hope encouraged Steven Gerrard to dedicate his entire career to Liverpool in pursuit of a Premier League win, only to satisfy the demands of Manchester City the last time the same clubs were involved in a climax such as this.
Hope allows Liverpool to assume a season in which they have lost once in 36 fixtures will secure the championship. Hope is no reassuring ally. It is fickle and insensitive.
Yet here Liverpool supporters are once more, "with hope in their hearts" as their anthem demands, with no choice but to throw themselves at its mercy, this time praying it is City cursing hope's duplicitous promises.
Manager Klopp's pre-match call was typically assured, offering the impression three more wins will still be enough to win the Premier League. His side has come too far to be dragged down by defeatism now. His message was heard, his instructions heeded as his players and those in the stands showed the same defiance.
Supporters are limited in how much they can demonstrate their enduring belief beyond waving flags with more vigour and singing songs a little louder and more often. In truth, the chants about winning the league have subsided a little in the past few weeks, City's flawlessness ensuring there is no misplaced confidence about the Premier League's destiny.
But it is no longer Klopp's rallying cries that keep the fires burning. Whenever this Liverpool team plays, the possibilities still seem endless.
Naby Keita's opening goal in 15 seconds ensured this would be the evening Pep Guardiola's hope of a favour would be immediately extinguished. It was the blueprint Klopp strike, a scurrying midfielder stealing possession and exchanging passes before neatly finishing.
Goals two and three were also emblems of this season, with fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson continuing their duel to finish top of the assist charts in servicing Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. At that stage, there was another, more tentative hope on The Kop — that perhaps City's formidable goal difference advantage would be significantly reduced.
Klopp had already left out Roberto Firmino and Fabinho as a precaution ahead of their Champions League semifinal in Barcelona on Thursday.
The more Liverpool scored, the more likely others are to be given a rest. When Virgil van Dijk was given a standing ovation for shaking off a knock, it was obvious where the second-half priorities lay.
So the supporters left dreaming of Sean Dyche getting under the skin of City's technical staff, and of Ashley Barnes, All White Chris Wood or — most poignantly of all — former Kop striker Peter Crouch becoming Anfield heroes should Burnley take a point from the champions tonight.
And if that does not work, they will shower compliments on former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, acknowledging his work beginning Liverpool's restoration before Klopp started to paint Anfield's version of the Sistine Chapel.
They may even dare to believe Chris Hughton's relegation-threatened Brighton can stop City completing a 14-match winning streak.
No matter how often hope lets you down — how lost or false it seems — it has the arrogance to presume millions will still seek and hold on to it. For two more games, at least.