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It is now appropriate to start judging Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Liverpool attacker, the Liverpool head coach remarked on Friday. In that case, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's costliest footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the Premier League title holders attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser versus their rivals in their absence, it was not the manager's misfiring offence that earned the fiercest criticism at Anfield. His defensive foundation has disappeared.

Anonymous Display from Star Attackers

Indeed, Isak was mostly anonymous in the centre-forward position and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his difficulties continued against the club he often scores against. The Swedish player had his initial attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Reds player in the first half, smartly stopped by the opposition's new shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah wasted a golden second-half chance in front of the home end and could not protest when their substitution eventually. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork on multiple occasions and somehow was unable to net a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Impossible Loss Despite Chances

It ought to have been impossible for Liverpool to lose a game in which they generated numerous opportunities, Slot claimed. But it is not impossible with a defence in current state, as one opponent, another rival and currently United have proven.

Defensive Breakdown Under Scrutiny

As he presided over a fourth straight loss as the club's manager, the first person to achieve this since a previous manager in November 2014, the coach must have been frustrated at a defensive performance that invited United to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground since January 2016. Littered with the identical errors that the team's coaching staff had focused on eradicating after the international break, featuring another set-piece score, it was a performance that totally undermined the champions’ second half comeback and lost them the game.

Momentum Squandered Even with Uptick

The upper hand was at last with the home side when Gakpo equalized the forward's quick breakthrough. Liverpool could feel another last-minute victory with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and another forward sparking progress and United in retreat. Instead, it was a further last-gasp Premier League defeat, the third in succession, after the team's set-piece weaknesses resurfaced and the defender found himself among several opposition players free behind the centre-back in the closing stages.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A thumping header into the goal that Maguire missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best victory of his challenging club tenure. For all the negativity surrounding the coach it was his team that performed with definite plan and a smartly implemented approach for the bulk of a compelling encounter. The first back-to-back league victories of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. The Liverpool team again appeared like unfamiliar at points, particularly when allowing a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the division the current campaign.

Quick Goal Exposes Backline Issues

The home side were exposed from the inception to the finish of Mbeumo’s quick-fire opener. There was no purchase on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a likely result of having to go through opponents to connect with the ball, admittedly, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and passed to Amad Diallo in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was late to react, Van Dijk delayed to recover and follow Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the unavailable Alisson in goal, was comfortably beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Questions

Slot could reasonably question his head and ask why the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious history, but also question the concentration and coordination among his backline. The forward's strike indicates the team have kept only two clean sheets in a dozen games this season, the most recent coming eight games previously at Burnley.

Constant Targeting of Defensive Side

The visitors exposed Liverpool’s left flank frequently in a opening period in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and even Gakpo all came close to doubling the away team's lead. Sending Diallo early versus the full-back was clearly part of the manager's tactic. It worked repeatedly in the first half. The £40m new arrival from his former club endured another tough evening in a club jersey. Set-pieces were even a issue for the previous player's chosen successor, who nearly put the forward through while making an interception. Kerkez and Van Dijk seem on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Analysis and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a many risks,” the head coach explained following United’s win. “After the 62nd minute we had multiple attacking members on the field. That’s perhaps why our organization for the set-piece was not as perfect as we typically are. Usually we would have additional defending players on the pitch. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is no justification. We know we have to do better.”