Manager Rafael Benitez has answered his critics by steering Liverpool past Watford and into the League Cup final after just six months in the job.
Under fire after a run of three defeats, including an FA Cup loss to Burnley, Benitez was spared any risk of another upset against first division opposition when captain Steven Gerrard struck the only goal of Tuesday's semi-final second leg.
At a stroke, Gerrard eased the pressure on Benitez after his decision to field a second-string team at Burnley backfired, infuriating a fan base which still harks back to the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s when their team won four European Cups.
"We knew how important the game was for us, for the supporters and for the club," the Spaniard told reporters after his side earned a 2-0 aggregate win at Vicarage Road.
"We played with a strong mentality, we really played as a team and we controlled almost all of the game.
"If you get to the final, it means we are working hard and working properly. Now we want to offer the cup to our supporters."
Liverpool's reward is a meeting in Cardiff on February 27 with Chelsea.
However, the short-term goal of pleasing the fans and adding to the club's record haul of seven League Cup trophies is only part of Benitez's bigger vision of the future.
His overriding aim is to build a top Liverpool side around the talismanic figure of Gerrard and to eventually challenge for all the game's major honours.
"We need to work with a big picture. It's a long race and this is my first year here," said Benitez, who succeeded Frenchman Gerard Houllier in the Anfield hot-seat.
"When the board decided to sign me, they were talking about five years. I am not here to win one trophy - I will try to win all the trophies possible."
A winner of two Primera Liga titles and one UEFA Cup in his three years at former club Valencia, Benitez's ambition for Liverpool is tempered only by his rotten luck with injuries.
French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle is the latest casualty, suffering a seemingly serious knee injury on Tuesday after compatriot Djibril Cisse's season was cut short by a broken leg.
Two attacking midfielders, Australian Harry Kewell and Spaniard Xabi Alonso, have also been sidelined, along with goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.
"We have a good team but we need a little more luck with injuries," said the manager.
Benitez also knows that a bright Liverpool future depends on keeping hold of Gerrard, who was courted unsuccessfully by Chelsea last year and who was more recently linked with Real Madrid.
Along with his ball-winning and passing skills, the inspirational midfielder has scored some vital goals this season - few more so than the one against Olympiakos last month which booked Liverpool into the Champions League's knockout stages.
"We want to build a strong team around Steve," said Benitez. "That's our idea."