It was a chastening experience which seemed an age away from his recent Premiership Player of the Month award and which suggested he may be withdrawn from the firing line for his own good against the Premiership leaders at Old Trafford tonight.
Acting manager Phil Thompson would not be drawn on his selection but may be forced to stick by his under-fire playmaker after ruling out Vladimir Smicer and anxiously awaiting a late test on Steven Gerrard's hamstring.
If he does, he expects Murphy to rise above the abuse that turned another worryingly inadequate Liverpool performance into a personal ordeal for the 24-year-old.
Thompson said: 'We all felt sorry for Danny because there were not many good individual performances and it was very unfair to single him out. I could understand the fans' frustration but it's not on when you just focus it all on one person.
'I didn't like to see Danny being picked on like that. But you can't expect plaudits all the time - it is how you react that counts and Danny is going to have to get on with it.
'I believe he is big enough and strong enough to handle it and I expect him to be all the better for the experience. I have spoken to him about what happened, and a few other things, and I know his confidence will come back.
'He worked very hard to get into the England squad and be voted player of the month and the important thing now is that he doesn't lose sight of what got him there. It was down to hard work and if he carries on in the same vein, he will continue to improve.
'The players here all have broad shoulders and Danny is no exception. He will come through this tricky spell, just as we all will.' Liverpool were 12 points clear of United during their pre- Christmas stint as Premiership leaders but will be eight points adrift if the new pacesetters extend their winning sequence tonight.
Thompson said: 'People were being disrespectful to United a short while ago and have been forced to accept that you write them off at your peril. Well, the same applies to us. I know we can go on the same sort of run as we did towards the end of last season.
'There are still a lot of big games to be played and Manchester United will drop points, I can guarantee that. Then it is down to the rest of us to take advantage and I know we are ready to respond.
'A bit of confidence has gone out of our game at the moment. The players have stopped doing things instinctively but it can all come back quickly. One good performance or special goal could be enough, then we will be on our way again.
'This is a good time to be going to Old Trafford. The players need no motivation for a challenge like this.'
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