The celebrations in the wake of Liverpool's extraordinary Champions League comeback against Barcelona last month provided an unlikely bookend to Jurgen Klopp's managerial reign on Merseyside to date.
The German led the players en masse towards the Kop after the final whistle to soak up perhaps Anfield's greatest ever European night before their ecstatic, incredulous support.
What a difference three years and four months make.
In December 2015, Divock Origi - the man who stroked home the killer goal against Barca - grabbed a scruffy stoppage-time equaliser against Tony Pulis's West Brom.
Afterwards, Klopp walked his players, en masse, towards the Kop to soak up ... a point against the Baggies, halfway through the season, which nudged Liverpool up to ninth, just ahead of neighbours Everton.
Plenty sniggered at the gesture, but Klopp was trying to make a wider point that day.
"It was the best atmosphere since I came here," he said at the time, having previously aired his bemusement at the fans' tendency to lose patience with their side early in games, or head for the exit if things were going south.
"Of course people are disappointed but they didn't let us feel that. They saw that the lads tried everything and played football.
"We stayed in the game, had a few moments where we were not so good, but only set plays that cost us. If we can do that better then maybe win games more easily."
Keep the faith was the message. And for those millions of Reds fans worldwide who clearly have, the pay-off has been spectacular.
Nobody's laughing at Liverpool now.
Klopp has always been a bundle of positivity; that infectious energy is a big part of his make-up. But there's a lot more going on at Liverpool than chest-bumps and toothy smiles.
To borrow Joey Barton's description, this "giant German cheerleader" is running a highly sophisticated operation. It's heavy metal football backed up by a symphony of data and detail.
In Klopp's three full campaigns as Liverpool manager to date, they have finished fourth, fourth and second. On Saturday night they'll play in their second Champions Leagues final on the bounce.
The rate of improvement has been vast and swift; the German building a supreme side brick by brick, overseeing major strides forward.
He has not done it alone (see Bruce Schoene's excellent article in the New York Times which digs right into the forensic detail Liverpool employ behind the scenes) but it's unquestionably Klopp - with his vision, presence and intelligence - that has triggered the renaissance.
Liverpool were also-rans a few seasons ago. Now, they are one of the most feared teams in Europe.
So how has he done it?
Good signings help. Liverpool have managed to get almost all of Klopp's top targets in the last two years and as a result, they've upgraded significantly in key areas: Alisson for Mignolet; Virgil van Dijk for Mamadou Sakho; Mo Salah for the declining Daniel Sturridge; Fabinho for Emre Can.
The huge fee Barcelona paid for Philippe Coutinho was reinvested smartly and Liverpool have emerged as a stronger team and squad after losing a man who was perceived to be their best player.
But it's a much-improved defensive solidity that has lifted them to another level this campaign. They've managed to tighten up while remaining just as potent going forward; and in one area of the field, Klopp has struck gold by harvesting a devastatingly productive defensive hybrid in the shape of two brilliant attacking full-backs.
In his first full season, Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner primarily served the team in those positions. Both were capable, steady-Eddie defenders but their output going forward was pretty minimal. They offered five assists between them and seven goals - all from Milner, all of them penalties
This season Andrew Robertson (11) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (12) set up 23 goals between them - an incredible return. Their athleticism, speed and supreme crossing ability has weaponised Liverpool with a devastating threat from deep.
Even better, the outlay on the pair was modest - £10m to bring Robertson from relegated Hull, while Alexander-Arnold came through the club's Academy.
Both are cornerstones of this Liverpool outfit. Without them, they are not the same animal.
They also facilitate Klopp's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, their ability to overlap with such pace giving the team an extra out-ball when attacking.
Robertson's ascent has been especially interesting. He was released by Celtic when he was 15, with his slight stature a concern, and dropped into part-time football with Queen's Park before former Hoops star Jackie McNamara brought him to Dundee United.
He moved to Hull in 2014 before ending up at Anfield, though if Liverpool's swoop for the Glaswegian caught some fans by surprise at the time it's worth noting that eight other Premier League clubswanted him, with Sporting Lisbon and PSV Eindhoven also interested. Robertson was a diamond waiting to be gleaned.
Klopp's early days at Liverpool were defined by two things: breathtaking attack, and haphazard defending. They had a bad habit of tossing leads away while lacking the ability to close games out.
Often devastating going forward, they shipped too many goals at important times.
The consensus was Klopp's 'gegenpressing' style was too gung-ho but he never believed that. His own view was that it was individual errors, not the system, that were costing Liverpool, often stressing that his side's defending started with their most advanced player. It was the collective unit's responsibility to keep the other team out.
In his first full season, Liverpool allowed opponents 115 shots on target (that was down on 133 the year before). They conceded 42 league goals - the most of any other team in the top four - with 12 coming from set-pieces.
In 2017/18, they faced 106 shots on target and conceded 38 goals. This season, they've allowed opponents 97 shots on target and conceded just 22 goals.
So they're harder to create against and have better players (Alisson, Van Dijk, Fabinho) as crucial shields.
Goalkeeper Alisson has made a particularly important contribution. At one point Simon Mignolet had the lowest save-per-goal conceded ratio of any first-choice keeper in the league.
Liverpool are sharing the load when it comes to goal creation too.
Mane contributed 13 Premier League goals and six assists in the 2016/17 campaign but when he went to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal in the January the Reds fell apart.
The emergence of Mo Salah has given other teams another major headache while the excellent Roberto Firmino is the ever-mobile glue that gives their quick counters fluidity. Xherdan Shaqiri i and Divock Origi have made timely contributions, while the likes of Naby Keita, Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson chipped in with goals and assists at the tail end of this campaign.
Klopp has a dreadful record in major finals. He's lost his last six - (the 2013 Champions League - Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Bayern Munich; the 2014 German Cup - Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Bayern Munich; the 2015 German Cup - Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Wolfsburg; the 2016 English League Cup - Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (Liverpool lost on penalties); the 2016 Europa League - Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla; and the 2018 Champions League - Liverpool 1-3 Real Madrid)
He's due one. And Liverpool need one. They've already racked up a record Premier League tally without actually landing the title they crave; another defeat in the biggest club game in the world would be shattering.
You only get so many chances.
Klopp knows it, and so do his players. The boss has bided his time to build the team he wants. The attention to detail that's gone into building this brilliantly powerful side has earned deserved plaudits.
Patience is a virtue. But Liverpool's time is now.
This balanced, impressive team has been expertly built since their charismatic manager's arrival in October 2015.
It's been a wild ride, but there's no escaping the conclusion that they must put silver on the table to complete the journey and truly announce their arrival as one of this famous club's great sides.
Follow Liverpool v Tottenham in the Champions League final with our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now App from 7pm on Saturday, 1 June.
