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Now is the moment to commence assessing Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Anfield attacker, Arne Slot commented on Friday. As such, judgment must be harsh, but as the UK's most expensive footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool substitutes while the English top-flight title holders struggled to force an equaliser against Manchester United without them, it was not Slot’s underperforming forward line that deserved the strongest blame at the stadium. His defensive foundation has evaporated.

Anonymous Performance from Star Forwards

Yes, Isak was predominantly anonymous in the No 9 role and Salah again poor as his individual toils continued versus the team he often plunders. The Swedish player had his initial attempt on goal in the top division as a Liverpool member in the first half, smartly stopped by United’s latest goalkeeper the young keeper. The forward wasted a glorious after the break opportunity facing the Kop and could not protest when their numbers were shown. Cody Gakpo also hit the crossbar three times and somehow failed to score a another goal shortly after the defender's winner.

Unthinkable Loss In Spite of Opportunities

It seemed unthinkable for Liverpool to lose a game in which they generated plenty of chances, the manager stated. But it is possible with a backline in this form, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have shown.

Backline Breakdown Under Pressure

As he presided over a fourth straight loss as the club's head coach, the first man to achieve this since a previous manager in November 2014, Slot must have despaired at a defence display that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground since January 2016. Filled with the same mistakes that Liverpool’s management had focused on eradicating following the pause, featuring another dead-ball score, it was a performance that completely undermined the champions’ second half comeback and cost them the game.

Momentum Lost Even with Uptick

Momentum was at last with the hosts when Gakpo cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. Liverpool could feel one more late win with replacements one attacker, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa sparking improvement and the opposition in defensive mode. Instead, it was a further last-gasp Premier League loss, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and the defender found himself among several opposition members free past Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A thumping goal into the goal that the player blazed over in the dying seconds of last season’s tie gave the United manager the best win of his turbulent United reign. Despite the negativity around Amorim it was his squad that performed with definite plan and a well-executed plan for the majority of a compelling contest. The first back-to-back league victories of the manager's time in charge were the outcome. The Liverpool team again appeared like unfamiliar at points, particularly when allowing a dead-ball score for the fifth occasion in the division the current campaign.

Early Goal Exposes Defensive Issues

The home side were exposed from the start to the execution of the attacker's 62-second opener. There was little impact on the first header from the captain, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to reach the pass, admittedly, and little challenge on Bruno Fernandes when he took possession and passed to the winger in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, Van Dijk slow to recover and mark Mbeumo’s movement while the goalkeeper, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Questions

Slot could justifiably point to his head and wonder where the foul was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a feisty history, but also question the concentration and communication among his backline. Mbeumo’s strike indicates the team have kept only a couple of shutouts in 12 matches this season, the last coming many matches ago at another ground.

Constant Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors exposed the left flank repeatedly in a opening period in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and also the attacker all nearly scored to doubling the away team's lead. Releasing the winger early against Kerkez was obviously in the manager's strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40 million new arrival from his former club experienced a further difficult evening in a Liverpool jersey. Set-pieces were also a problem for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who almost put the forward in on goal while making one interception. The defender and Van Dijk appear on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Explanation and Admission

“We take a many gambles,” Slot explained after United’s victory. “Following the 62nd minute we had multiple attacking members on the pitch. This is maybe why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have more defensive personnel on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. We know we have to improve.”