They can curse the trigger-happy linesman who denied Luis Garcia a debut goal seven minutes from time but, post-Houllier, the real cause for consternation among their supporters will be the uninspiring nature of the football played by Rafael Benítez's team.
Garcia had been played onside by Bruno N'Gotty but Liverpool will struggle to generate sympathy as long as they bring a dose of conservatism to a league that demands excitement. Hard on the heels of a dispiriting second-leg defeat by Graz AK in the Champions League qualifiers, their performance could be accurately gauged by the fact they mustered only one shot on target. Even that - a Gerrard miskick that did not require Bolton's goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen to muddy his knees.
To dwell too much on Liverpool's deficiencies would be unfair on a Bolton side who have now won three of their opening four Premiership fixtures. Despite the rarity of a subdued performance from Jay-Jay Okocha, Sam Allardyce's players worked indefatigably to protect the lead given to them by Kevin Davies's close-range finish and, all in all, looked the more competent team.
"We need time," acknowledged Benítez. "We are looking to build a powerful team but it might take three or four months."
If they can be that patient, Liverpool supporters will console themselves in the knowledge that Benítez's reputation for adventure in La Liga was no fluke but now his honeymoon period is well and truly over, there are searching questions to be asked.
Liverpool paid a club record £14m to Auxerre for Djibril Cissé but there was no starting place for him here even though he suffered no injuries in a crash with a police car on Friday.
Just as mystifying was Benítez's withdrawal of Stephen Warnock at half-time when the left-sided midfielder had been their outstanding player. Stéphane Henchoz did not even merit a place on the bench while Garcia and Xabi Alonso had worryingly ineffective debuts. "They can do better," said Benítez. "They need to realise the referees allow a lot more contact here than they do in Spain."
Bolton's goal epitomised how they generally made better use of the ball despite not having as much of it as their opponents. Henrik Pedersen eluded Josemi to cross from the left and, though Stelios Giannakopoulos missed the ball as it skidded across the six-yard area, so did the sprawling Jerzy Dudek. Davies controlled the ball and, with no goalkeeper to beat but two defenders in front of him, scored with a minimum of fuss.
Davies had already made his mark inside the first minute when, trying to flick on a long punt, he inadvertently thrust his head into Sami Hyypia's face. The Liverpool centre-half struggled manfully on for another 13 minutes with a broken nose and blurred vision.
"Losing Hyypia was a big factor," Benítez said, but it did not explain why Liverpool were so impotent going forward.
Their keep-ball in midfield mattered little since they lacked the guile and creativity to open up the home defence. Isolated on the right wing, Garcia was ineffective until the last 20 minutes when he moved infield. Milan Baros had a difficult game and once Warnock was withdrawn they lost the impetus he had given them.
Cissé, perhaps perplexed by his omission, seemed fretful when he came on and squandered a late opportunity. "It was a surprise to us he didn't start," said Allardyce, who revealed that Benítez had not shaken his hand after the final whistle. "He must be disappointed. Liverpool will see this as the sort of place they must get at least a draw."
That draw should have been forthcoming when Garcia timed his run perfectly to latch on to Dietmar Hamann's through-ball and clip his shot beyond Jaaskelainen but the wrong decision should not spare Liverpool from criticism. "If the goal was onside I think we deserved that bit of luck," said Allardyce.
