Liverpool rid itself of unpopular owners but not relegation form as local rival Everton inflicted a 2-0 loss on the team in front of new owner John Henry on Sunday.
Goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta on either side of the break left Liverpool off the bottom of the Premier League standings only on goal difference after eight matches.
Liverpool looked devoid of offense at Goodison Park, quickly banishing hopes that ousting Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. in favor of the owners of baseball's Boston Red Sox would solve its troubles.
While Liverpool's legal team won a week of court battles to oust the previous regime, the players couldn't replicate that success on the field.
And the extent of Liverpool's troubles was all too apparent to Henry and New England Sports Ventures chairman Tom Werner.
They saw a side contained inside its own half from the outset as Everton confidently piled on the pressure.
Managing his first Merseyside derby was an uncomfortable experience for Roy Hodgson, who berated Liverpool's sloppy play from the sidelines. Werner had earlier said that Hodgson's job was safe.
It took almost 25 minutes for Liverpool to get sight of goal, with struggling striker Fernando Torres flicking in a header that was turned away by United States goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Cahill scored in the 34th minute. Pepe Reina's low diving save had thwarted a Yakubu Ayegbeni shot, but he couldn't stop Cahill from lashing the ball inside the near post.
Liverpool was unable to penetrate Everton's defense and the deficit was doubled after the break when Arteta picked up Leighton Baines' corner on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a fierce volley past Reina.
