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The time has come to begin evaluating Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Liverpool centre forward, Arne Slot commented on the weekend. As such, the assessment should be critical, but as the UK's costliest footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the English top-flight champions tried in vain to force an equaliser against Manchester United in their absence, it was not the manager's misfiring attack that warranted the harshest blame at Anfield. His defensive foundation has vanished.

Quiet Display from Star Attackers

Indeed, the Swedish striker was predominantly unnoticeable in the centre-forward role and Salah disappointing again as his personal struggles continued against the team he typically plunders. The Sweden player had his first shot on target in the Premier League as a Reds player in the first half, well saved by United’s latest goalkeeper the young keeper. Salah wasted a glorious second-half opportunity in front of the Kop and neither complain when their substitution were shown. The Dutch attacker also hit the woodwork on multiple occasions and inexplicably failed to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Impossible Defeat Despite Opportunities

It ought to have been impossible for the hosts to be defeated in a match in which they created so many opportunities, Slot remarked. But it is not impossible with a defence in such condition, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and now United have proven.

Backline Collapse Under Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as Liverpool manager, the first person to achieve this after a previous manager in years past, the coach must have despaired at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their initial win at Anfield since January 2016. Littered with the identical errors that the team's coaching staff had focused on eradicating following the pause, including yet another set-piece score, it was a performance that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Advantage Lost Even with Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the home side when the substitute cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. The Merseyside club could feel one more last-minute victory with replacements one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting improvement and United in retreat. Instead, it was a further last-gasp Premier League loss, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and the defender found himself one of three United members unmarked past the centre-back in the closing stages.

Organized Opposition Excel

A thumping header into the net that Maguire missed in the final moments of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave the United manager the finest win of his challenging club reign. Despite the negativity around Amorim it was his team that played with clear purpose and a well-executed plan for the majority of a compelling contest. The first consecutive Premier League victories of the manager's time in charge were the result. The Liverpool side once more appeared like unfamiliar at points, particularly when conceding a dead-ball score for the fifth time in the Premier League the current campaign.

Early Opener Reveals Backline Issues

The home side were found wanting from the start to the execution of the attacker's quick-fire opener. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to reach the ball, to be fair, and little challenge on the playmaker when he took possession and released the winger in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back delayed to track back and mark Mbeumo’s movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the unavailable first-choice keeper in goal, was easily beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Focus Questions

Slot could justifiably point to his head and ask why the foul was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the focus and coordination levels his backline. The forward's goal indicates the team have kept only a couple of clean sheets in 12 matches this season, the last occurring many matches previously at Burnley.

Repeated Exploitation of Defensive Side

United carved open Liverpool’s left side frequently in a opening period in which the midfielder, another player and even Gakpo all nearly scored to doubling the away team's lead. Sending the winger quickly against the full-back was obviously part of Amorim’s tactic. It succeeded repeatedly in the opening half. The £40m new arrival from Bournemouth experienced another difficult match in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were even a problem for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly sent the forward through while making one challenge. Kerkez and the captain seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Manager’s Analysis and Admission

“We take a many gambles,” Slot explained following United’s victory. “Following the second half we had multiple attacking players 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 defending players on the pitch. Perhaps it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. We know we have to do better.”